\ 


■m^mmi^m&simim 


mm 

V    ^  ^ 

''!»Bri 

^^HByiiii)! 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


n^ 


THE  FOREIGNER  IN  FAR  CATHAY. 


THE  FOREIGNER 


FAR  CATHAY 


BY 

W.    H.    MEDHUEST, 

H.  B.   M.  CONSUL,  SHANGHAE. 


NEW   YORK: 
SCRIBNER,     ARMSTRONG    AND    COMPANY 
1873- 


DS 

ICFI 
PREFACE. 


This  little  book  does  not  pretend  to  the 
importance  of  a  work  on  China.  Its  aim  is 
simply  to  enlighten  the  home  public  as  to  the 
actual  circumstances  in  which  residents  in 
that  remote  region  find  themselves,  and  to 
supply  a  few  scraps  of  infomiation,  part  of  it 
new,  and  part  of  it  hitherto  misapprehended, 
respecting  the  Chinese  themselves.  Existing 
relations  between  China  and  the  leading 
Western  powers  are  inevitably  tending  to- 
wards results,  the  importance  of  which  to  both 
sides  cannot  be  exaggerated,  and  I  shall  con- 
sider myself  fortunate  if  the  few  words,  which 
I  have  herein  ventured,  should  lead  to  a 
better  understanding  in  England  of  our  true 
position  and  interests  in  "  Far  Cathay." 

W.  H.  Medhukst. 

ATHENaiUM  Club,  August,  1872. 


CONTENTS. 


I. — Introductory 1 

II. — Position  of  Foreigners  in  China  5 

III. — Character  and  Habits  of  Foreign  Eesidents  in  China  19 

rV. — Missionaries  in  China 33 

T. — Consuls  and  Customs  Authorities,  Etc 52 

VI. — Customs  of  the  Chinese.  — Shop  Signs 59 

VII. — Advertising  in  China 72 

Vm. — Mandarin  Yamens  in  China 81 

IX. — Opium  Smoking 90 

X. — Infanticide 95 

XI. — Eating  and  Drinking  in  China 103 

Xn. — Chinese  Social  Institutions 108 

Xin. — Correspondence  and  the  Press 119 

XrV.— Modes  of  Sepulture 126 

XV. — Use  of  the  Written  Character  for  Decoration 137 

XVI.  — Chinese  Proper  Names 146 

XVII. — Travelling  and  Porterage  in  China 152 

XVm.— The  Character  of  the  Chinese 167 

XIX. — Concluding  Remarks  186 


THE 

FOREIGNER  IN  FAR  CATHAY. 


CHAPTER  L 


INTRODUCTORY. 


Although  numerous  bulky  volumes  have 
been  written  upon  China  and  the  Chinese,  and 
intercommunication  with  Western  countries 
has  been  vastly  extended  of  late  years,  it  is 
marvellous  how  vague,  and  in  some  cases  how 
erroneous,  are  the  popular  notions  prevalent 
in  Europe  and  America  in  regard  to  the  coun- 
try and  om-  relations  with  it.  Every  one  be- 
lieves, perhaps,  and  rightly,  that  China  counts 
her  population  by  hundreds  of  millions,  and 
that  her  temtory  occupies  a  very  considerable 
proportion  of  the  Asiatic  continent ;  and  misty 
impressions  are  cherished  no  doubt  as  to  the 


Introductory. 


existence  of  evidences  of  an  advanced  state  of 
civilization  in  the  way  of  a  literature,  a  philo- 
sophy, a  highly-perfected  social  system,  and 
so  on.  But  test  the  information  a  little  fur- 
ther, and  it  will  be  found  that  the  prominent 
idea  with  regard  to  a  Chinaman  is  that  he  is 
a  quaint  but  stolid  besotted  creatm-e,  who 
smokes  opium  perpetually,  and  di-owns  his 
daughters  as  fast  as  they  appear,  whose  every- 
day food  consists  of  puppies,  kittens,  rats,  and 
such  like  garbage ;  whose  notions  of  honor, 
honesty,  and  courage,  are  of  the  loosest ;  and 
to  whom  cruelty  is  a  pastime.  This  opinion 
may  not  quite  tally  with  the  impressions  as  to 
civilization  and  social  advancement  above  al- 
luded to,  but  no  trouble  is  taken  to  explain 
the  contradiction,  and  the  more  ridiculous  and 
familiar  fancy  is  indulged  in. 

Even  less  perhaps  is  known  respecting  the 
communities  of  om*  countrymen  and  other 
foreigners  who  make  China  a  place  of  resort 
either  for  their  own  profit  or  for  the  benefit  of 
the  natives.  If  speculations  on  the  subject 
take  any  shape  at  all,  it  is  in  a  direction  by  no 


Introductory. 


means  complimentaiy  to  the  persons  con- 
cerned. The  merchants  are  set  down  as  ad- 
ventm-ers,  with  whom  smiigghng*  is  a  habit, 
men  of  few  scruples,  violent,  and  ever  ready 
to  plmige  the  mother-country  into  war  to 
serve  their  personal  ends.  Missionaries  are 
characterized  as  indiscreet,  officious,  over-zeal- 
ous, and  peculiarly  partial  to  appeals  to  the 
persuasive  powers  of  the  "inevitable  gun- 
boat ;"  wdiilst  consuls  and  naval  commanders 
are  regarded  as  much  too  apt  to  abet  both 
classes  of  residents,  instead  of  restraining  them 
within  leo:itimate  limits.  It  is  nevertheless 
imagined  that  notwithstanding  these  adverse 
circumstances,  contact  with  foreigners  is  on  the 
whole  humanizing  and  improving  the  Chinese, 
and  that  an  appreciation  of  the  benefits  of 
Western  civilization  and  progress  has  taken 
fast  hold  of  their  minds,  and  must  in  due  time 
bear  useful  fruit. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  following  pages 
that,  although  some  of  these  notions  may  have 
had  their  basis  in  fact,  yet  others  of  them  are 
entirely  unfounded,  whilst  none   can  be  ac- 


Introductory. 


cepted  without  qualification.  Foreign  resi- 
dents in  China  will  be  shown  to  represent  their 
native  countries  somewhat  more  worthily  than 
they  have  had  credit  for.  Several  of  the  cus- 
toms of  the  Chinese  which  come  more  imme- 
diately under  the  observation  of  their  foreign 
visitors  will  be  described,  and  an  attempt  made 
to  prove  that,  with  a  few  di^awbacks  of  charac- 
ter, they  exhibit  many  interesting  and  even 
commendable  traits ;  and  a  few  remarks  will 
then  be  ventured  upon  in  conclusion  as  to  the 
results  of  the  interconununication  between  the 
two  races  thus  far,  and  as  to  the  hopes  wliich 
may  be  entertained  in  respect  to  the  future. 


CHAPTER    11. 

POSITION   OF   FOREIGNERS    IN    CHINA. 

Tradition  and  reading  together  have  doubt- 
less famiharized  the  minds  of  most  Enghshmen 
with  the  general  outhne  of  the  history  of  our 
past  intercourse  mth  China,  and  rendered  it 
needless  to  do  more  here  than  pass  briefly  in 
review  the  more  prominent  featm'es  which 
have  marked  its  com^se  down  to  the  present 
date.  How  that  centmies  ago  adventm^ous 
travellers  visited  the  coimtry  at  rare  intervals, 
and  brought  away  those  tales  of  its  fabulous 
wealth,  the  barbaric  magnificence  of  its  com't, 
the  high,  but  quaint  civilization  of  its  people, 
and  the  excellence  as  well  as  oddity  of  its 
wares,  which  have  foimed  the  framework  of 
our  notions  about  China  ever  since.  How 
that  after  awhiLe,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  and 
other  na\dgators  earned  their  clumsy  but  won- 


6  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

derful  craft  into  Chinese  ports,  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  commercial  intercourse,  whilst 
by  their  acts  they  sowed  those  fii'st  seeds  of 
ill-will  and  distrust,  the  lamentable  fruit  of 
which  we  are  reaping  in  these  days.  How 
that  later  on  the  British  East  India  Company 
extended  its  agencies  to  Canton,  and  founded 
a  trade  which  for  success  and  mutual  confi- 
dence has  scarcely  been  surpassed.  How  that 
with  this  trade  opium  crept  in  to  be  a  valuable 
commodity  of  traffic,  becoming  in  after  years, 
incidentally  with  other  causes,  the  bone  of  con- 
tention that  plunged  China  into  her  first  war 
with  a  Em-opean  power.  How  that  the  strug- 
gle which  ensued  resulted  in  the  freedom  of 
British  subjects  from  native  jurisdiction,  and 
the  establishment  of  five  centres  of  trade  in 
the  place  of  one.  Canton,  as  had  been  the 
case  up  to  that  time.  And  how  that  sundiy 
disputes  and  hostilities  supervened  from  time 
to  time,  which  eventually  culminated  in  a 
second  and  third  war,  that  secm^ed  for  us  not 
only  an  extension  of  trading  privileges,  but 
the  rio'ht  of  ministerial  representation  at  the 


Position  of  Foreigners  in  China.  7 

Chinese  metropolis,  Peking,  as  at  this  moment 
enjoyed. 

And  here  it  may  be  remarked  parenthetic- 
ally that  the  succession  of  collisions  with 
Western  powers,  which  has  marked  the  his- 
tory of  China  during  the  past  thirty  years, 
has  done  her  grievous  harm.  They  have 
gradually  but  effectually  undermined  the  pres- 
tige of  the  ruling  powers,  and  so  have  led 
directly  to  the  series  of  devastating  rebellions 
which  have  ravaged  the  country  of  late  years, 
sapped  its  resom'ces,  and  brought  the  govern- 
ment to  the  heljDless  condition  in  which  it  now 
practically  lies.  It  may  be  argued  that  the  re- 
sponsibility of  this  result  lies  not  so  much 
with  foreign  powers  as  with  the  Chinese,  whose 
extravagant  assumptidiis,  obstructive  efforts, 
and  want  of  good  faith,  in  every  instance  in- 
duced the  collisions  which  followed.  To  a 
certain  extent  this  may  be  true.  But  it  must 
be  maintained  that  we — I  say  we,  for  after  all 
England  has  been  the  chief  actor  on  the  scene 
— ^have  been  to  blame,  in  that,  when  collision 
was  inevitable,  the  operations  were  not  so  car- 


8  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

ried  tlirougli  as  that  the  lesson  taught  should 
be  effectual,  leaving  little  or  no  likelihood  of  a 
repetition  on  the  part  of  the  assailed  of  their 
previous  misapprehension  or  misconduct.  It 
has  been  our  misfortune,  in  every  desultory- 
act  of  hostility  against  local  Chinese  officials, 
as  well  as  in  every  more  serious  process  of 
war  with  the  nation  itself,  always  to  stop  con- 
tented with  a  momentary  success,  leave,  as  it 
were,  the  coping-stone  of  the  fabric  unlaid, 
and  then  to  withdi'aw  the  pressm-e  just  when 
it  was  beginning  to  tell,  credulously  taking  it 
for  granted  in  either  instance  that  the  pledges 
extorted  by  a  temporary  violence  would  be 
faithfully  kept. 

An  example  or  two  in  which  this  unhappy 
fatality  betrayed  itself  will  suffice  by  way  of 
illusti-ation.  When  Captain  Elliot  attackod 
the  city  of  Canton,  in  1840-41,  after  the  re- 
pudiation by  the  Emperor  of  the  truce  which 
his  minister  (Keshen)  had  agreed  to  in  the 
Pei  Ho  River,  on  the  condition  that  the  British 
squadi'on  should  forthwith  retm*n  to  the  South, 
he  easily  succeeded,  through  the  valor  of  our 


Position  of  Foreigners  in  China.  9 

sailors  and  soldiers,  in  driving  the  enemy  from 
every  stronghold  romid  the  city  in  a  few 
hours'  time,  and  this  notwithstanding  the 
choicest  of  the  Tartar  and  Chinese  troops  of 
that  day  had  been  congregated  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  for  the  express  purpose  of  de- 
fying our  pretensions,  and  ''  sweeping "  us 
from  the  soil  of  China.  And  how  did  om-  re- 
presentative use  this  happy  success  ?  By  en- 
tering the  city  of  Canton,  so  long  proclaimed 
as  being  too  sacred  for  the  foot  of  the  foul  for- 
eigner, and  occupying  it  until  the  ari'ogant  as- 
sumption had  been  withdrawn  and  redress  ob- 
tained? By  no  means.  He  accepted  over- 
tm-es  of  peace  outside  the  walls,  whilst  actual- 
ly contemplating  them  as  limits  of  a  forbidden 
precinct,  and  withdi'ew  his  forces  for  a  hand- 
some pecuniary  indemnity,  leaving  the  Chi- 
nese to  crow  over  their  success,  and  the  iden- 
tical work  to  be  done  all  over  again  many 
years  after,  at  the  expense  of  a  vast  amount 
of  blood  and  treasure.  The  mistake  was  re- 
peated under  the  late  Sir  Henry  Pottinger. 
He   took   city  after   city   on   the  coast,   and 


10  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

routed  aiiny  after  army  in  an  incredibly  short 
space  of  time,  and  by  appearing  with  a  for- 
midable squadi'on  before  Nanking,   where   a 
foreign  ship  had  never  before  been  seen,  he  so 
terrified  the  Chinese  that  they  professed  them- 
selves ready  to  submit  to  any  terms.     The  re- 
sult was  so  far  good,  for  he  exacted  the  famous 
treaty  of  Nanldng,  which  has  been  the  basis 
of  om'  extended  commercial  privileges  since ; 
but  Sir  H.  Pottinger,  too,  withdrew  his  forces 
,  at  the  moment  of  triumph,  and  was  deluded 
by  his  wily  antagonists  into  shifting  the  scene 
of  detailed  negotiations  back,   as  of   old,   to 
Canton,  instead  of  onwards  to  Peking,  there- 
by sacrificing  all  the  practical  benefits  which 
had  been  so  dearly  purchased  on  both  sides. 
In  the  wars  of  1858  and  1860,  which  followed 
as  an  only  natural  consequence,  our  diplomacy 
was  attended  with  similarly  untoward  results. 
The  ready  acceptance  by  the  late  Lord  Elgin 
in   the   first   instance   of  overtm-es   of  peace 
whilst  yet  short  of  Peking,  ended,  as  is  well 
known,   in  the  fearful  catastrophe   of  Taku, 
which  convinced  Lord  Elgin  that  the  blow,  to 


Position  of  Foreigners  in  CJiina.        11 

be  effectual,  must  be  struck  at  tlie  capital. 
The  accustomed  courage  and  strategy  of  our 
forces  brought  him  there  without  difficulty ; 
but  he  contented  himself  with  occupying  only 
one  gate  of  the  beleaguered  metropolis  as  a 
temporary  measm-e,  and,  like  his  predeces- 
sors, he,  too,  hmiied  away  to  claim  the  ment 
of  his  success,  leaving  undetermined  the  cru- 
cial question  of  access  to  the  Emperor,  which 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Chinese  is  the  one  all-im- 
portant tm-ning  point  of  their  dispute  with 
foreigners  as  to  international  relations ;  and 
the  solution  of  which  may  yet  have  to  be  ar- 
rived at  tlu-ough  the  expenditure  of  still  more 
blood  and  treasure.  It  were  needless  here  to 
discuss  the  arguments  which  have  been  ad- 
duced in  support  of  the  necessity  of  that  pre- 
cipitate withdi'awal  of  our  forces  from  Peking, 
and  the  expediency  of  leaving  the  audience 
question  unsolved.  I  simply  state  the  fact, 
and  deprecate  the  too  probable  consequences. 
Far  better  would  it  have  been,  both  in  the 
interest  of  China  and  in  ours,  had  the  earliest 
blow  been  struck  home  whilst  she  was  yet 


12  The  Foreic/ner  in  Far  Cathay. 

comparatively  strong,  and  had  her  inilers  and 
peo2:)le  been  taught  in  those  days,  whilst  the 
court  had  not  yet  succumbed  to  the  influences 
of  luxury  and  vice,  and  corruption  had  not  yet 
wholly  demorahzed  the  administrative  depart- 
ments, that  intercourse  with  the  foreigner,  if 
accepted  at  all,  must  be  accepted  on  conditions 
of  entire  equality  and  universality.  China 
possessed  then  many  master  minds,  who  had 
not  yet  lost  the  traditions  of  the  vigorous  and 
patriotic  rule  which  had  marked  the  reigns  of 
the  earlier  Emperors  of  tliis  dynasty,  and  the 
more  complete  contact  with  foreign  progress 
and  civilization,  which  would  undoubtedly 
have  ensued  upon  more  efficiently  conducted 
operations,  Avould,  I  am  convinced,  have  had 
better  appreciation  and  utilization  at  the 
hands  of  the  statesmen  of  that  day  than  it  is 
unfortunately  receiving  now. 

To  return  to  the  position  in  which  foreigners 
find  themselves  in  China  at  this  moment.  It 
has  been  mentioned  how  that  residence  for 
the  purposes  of  commercial  intercourse  at 
certain  ports  or  depots  was  the  result  of  the 


Position  of  Foreigners  in  China.         13 

last  two  treaties.  There  are  fourteen  .in  all, 
eleven  situated  at  intervals  along  a  coast- 
line of  1,800  miles,  and  three  on  the  river 
Yangtsze.  In  this  category  I  do  not  include 
Hong  Kong,  which  is  a  British  colony,  and 
consequently  on  an  entu'ely  different  footing. 
At  some  of  these  ports  settlers  have  acquired 
land  for  building  puqioses  as  opportunity 
may  have  offered,  and  the  result  is  that  their 
dwellings  lie  isolated  and  scattered  about  here 
and  there.  At  others  a  particular  site  has 
been  set  apart  within  which  the  foreign 
merchants  are  permitted  to  acquire  property 
and  build,  subject  to  an  insignificant  rental  to 
the  Emperor  as  lord  of  the  soil.  At  others, 
again,  the  later  acquired  ports  more  especially, 
a  concession  has  been  made  to  the  British 
crown  of  a  certain  tract  subject  to  a  trifling 
rental  to  the  Chinese  Government,  and  this 
has  been  divided  into  convenient  lots  to  suit 
purchasers,  subject  to  a  lien  on  the  land  and 
all  property  standing  thereon  for  a  crown 
rental  and  any  taxes  which  the  majority  of 
the  settlers  may  agree  to  levy  for  municipal 


14  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

pur]^)Oses.  In  the  last  two  cases  of  course 
facilities  have  been  enjoyed  and  largely  taken 
advantage  of  for  laying  out  the  sites  upon 
attractive  and  commodious  plans,  and  con- 
siderable success  has  been  attained  in  some 
instances  in  erecting  settlements  which  com- 
bine architectm^al  beauty  with  commercial 
convenience,  and  even  with  appliances  for 
health  and  recreation.  Not  very  many  cities 
can  vie  with  Shanghae,  for  instance,  in  the 
attractiveness  and  extent  of  the  front  view 
from  the  aj)proach  to  it  up  the  river,  and  in 
its  streets  may  be  seen  public  and  private 
buildings  equal  in  style  and  importance  to 
those  that  grace  Eui'opean  towns.  Gas  has 
been  laid  down  for  some  time  past,  and  the 
inhabitants  have  now  under  consideration  the 
introduction  of  a  system  of  drainage  and 
water  supply  upon  an  extensive  scale,  and 
scientific  piinciples,  which,  when  complete, 
will  go  far  towards  rendering  Shanghae  the 
healthiest  and  most  agreeable  residence  in  the 
East.  All  this  has  been  due  not  to  Govern- 
mental aid  from  home,  or  to  the  action  of  the 


Position  of  Foreigners  in  China.         15 

Chinese  authorities  upon  the  spot,  but  to  the 
perseverance  and  enteqmse,  individual  and 
general,  of  the  foreign  settlers  themselves. 
Municipal  affairs  are  conducted  by  a  council 
elected  yearly  from  amongst  the  residents, 
and  the  importance  of  the  trust  committed  to 
their  charge  may  be  aj^preciated  by  the  fact 
that  the  budget  presented  for  acceptance  at 
the  last  annual  meeting  exhibited  a  total 
estimated  receipt  for  taxes,  dues,  licenses, 
post  office,  &c.,  of  over  £60,000.  This  is  in 
Shanghae  alone  ;  other  ports  do  not  of  com-se 
boast  a  similar  importance  and  wealth.  But 
at  eacb  much  has  been  done  to  secm^e  con- 
veniences and  advantages  commensurate  with 
the  wants  and  capabilities  of  the  j)lace. 

In  the  matter  of  amusement  and  recreation 
there  is  no  lack,  even  at  the  smaller  ports. 
Wherever  Europeans  and  Americans  congi-e- 
gate  together  at  a  distance  from  home,  be  the 
locality  ever  so  remote  and  inhospitable,  they 
are  certain  to  hit  upon  some  method  of  finding 
an  outlet  for  their  exuberant  spii'its.  Shanghae 
is   abundantly    provided    in   this    particular. 


16  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

There  is  a  capital  Club  House,  which  from  the 
habit  every  one  indulges  in  of  visiting-  it  at 
dusk,  after  a  drive,  ride,  or  walk,  has  also 
come  to  be  the  Exchange  of  the  place,  where 
business  is  discussed  over  a  friendly  glass  of 
sherry.  There  is  a  splendid  Masonic  Hall, 
which  although  not  exactly  erected  for  pm*- 
poses  of  recreation,  possesses  amongst  its  exten- 
sive suite  of  rooms  a  lofty  and  capacious  public 
hall,  which  is  frequently  appropriated  to  balls 
and  concerts.  There  is  a  Philharmonic  Society, 
the  perfoniiers  in  which,  albeit  mere  amatem^s, 
treat  the  public  to  concerts  and  promenade 
music  that  would  gratify  the  most  accom- 
phshed  taste.  There  is  a  race-course,  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  perfect  in  the  East. 
There  are  newspapers,  theatres,  libraries,  read- 
ing and  lectm-e  associations,  fives  and  racket 
clubs,  billiard-rooms,  bowling-alleys,  gpnna- 
siums,  and  indeed  most,  if  not  all,  other  of  the 
sources  of  amusement  which  usually  distin- 
guish the  thriving,  well-to-do  town  at  home. 

The    police    aiTangements,     which,    were 
treaty   principles    earned   out  in   their   mte- 


Position  of  Foreigners  in  China.        17 

grity,  would  properly  fall  to  the  share  of  the 
Chinese  authorities,  have  been  entirely  taken 
in  hand  by  the  settlers  themselves,  and  they 
boast  a  highly-paid  and  efficient  body  of  men 
selected  from  amongst  our  London  constabu- 
lary, who,  although  numbering  but  seventy 
in  all,  are  wonderfully  successful  in  maintain- 
ing order  amongst  the  70,000  Chinese  who 
live  within  the  foreign  precincts.  The  roads 
are  macadamized  u^oon  the  principle  so  long 
adopted  in  England,  and  the  traffic  of  car- 
riages, breaks,  and  vehicles  of  all  kinds,  is 
quite  sufficient,  especially  of  an  evening,  to 
keep  foot-passengers  on  the  qui  vive. 

As  regards  religious  privileges,  the  resident 
of  Shanghae  has  nothing  to  complain  of  The 
chm'ch  was  projected  in  days  when  money 
circulated  far  more  freely  than  it  does  now, 
and  it  is  therefore  in  size  and  style  everything 
that  a  large  and  wealthy  congregation  could 
desire ;  but  the  community  of  the  present 
day  are  paying  the  penalty  of  their  prede- 
cessors' extravagant  ideas,  in  having  to  forego 
the  luxury  of  a  steeple,  until  time  and  circum- 


18  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

stance  shall  mayliap  pave  the  Avay  towards 
the  possibility  of  a  further  outlay.  There 
are  two  other  churches,  one  especially  devot- 
ed to  seamen,  and  a  congregational  chaj^el,  all 
likewise  constructed  and  supported,  with  their 
respective  ministers,  by  the  liberality  of  the 
foreign  residents.  These  remarks  a]323ly,  as 
before,  only  to  Shanghae  ;  but  other  parts  have 
their  share  of  similar  appliances  for  the  pubhc 
benefit  in  a  social  point  of  view. 


CHAPTER   III. 

CHARACTER    AND    HABITS    OF   FOREIGN 
RESIDENTS    IN    CHINA. 

Much  misconception  appears  to  prevail  as 
to  the  character  of  foreign  residents  in  China, 
a  misconception  which  has  unfortunately  been 
intensified  of  late  by  the  condemnatory  tone 
which  the  home  press  has  taken  up  in  respect 
to  om-  relations  with  the  Chinese  dming  the 
past  four  years.  Communities  in  China  may 
be  roughly  divided  into  two  main  sections  or 
classes,  merchants  and  missionaries,  and  to 
these  may  be  added  as  necessary  concomit- 
ants the  consular  and  customs  authorities  and 
unemployed  persons  or  vagrants. 

The  terai  "merchant,"  as  applied  to  our 
countr^mien  in  China,  has  been  so  long  and 
so  constantly  associated  with  traffic  in  opium, 
and  the  alleged  obtrusion  of  it  upon  the  Chi- 
nese by  force,  that  it  has  become  in  England 


20  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

almost  a  synonym  for  ''  adventurer,"  and  even 
''  smuggler,"  and  the  press  has  at  times  Hke- 
wise  distinguished  it  by  such  ej^ithets  as  "  ra- 
pacious," "  aggressive,"  etc.    It  is  unnecessary 
to  enter  here  into  the  question  of  the  morahty 
or  otherwise  of  the  opium  traffic;  suffice  it  to 
say  that  no  man  who  has  the  shghtest  spark 
of  philanthrojDy  in  his  heart  but  must  depre- 
cate the  existence  of  the  trade,  and  regret  that 
the  production  of  the  drug  in  British  territory 
is  for  the  time  being  a  pohtical  necessity,  or 
that  civihzed  and  Christian  traders  must  needs 
be   the   means   of  introducing   it   amongst  a 
heathen  people.     But  it  is  essential  that  the 
reader  should  dismiss  from  his  mind  the  im- 
pression that  opium  is  smuggled  into,  or  forced 
upon,   the  country,  or  that  any  moral  turpi- 
tude of  necessity  attaches  to  the  man  who 
deals  in  the  drug.     Even  in  the  days  of  its 
strict  prohibition  by  the  Chinese  Govermnent 
there  were  certain  inlets  for  its  introduction  at 
various  points  on  the  coast,  which  were  recog- 
nized for  a  consideration  by  the  local  authori- 
ties, and  known  to  exist  by  the  higher  officials, 


Foreign  Residents  in  China.  21 

who  simply  satisfied  their  sense  of  duty  by 
periodical  memorials  to  the  throne  and  fulmi- 
nations  against  the  trade.  True,  one  of  these 
latter,  the  famous  Commissioner  Lin,  earned 
his  indignation  and  patriotism  to  such  a  pitch 
as  to  impound  the  entire  stock  of  opium  then 
in  the  Chinese  waters,  and  hence  arose  the  as- 
smnption,  which  has  since  taken  so  strong  a 
hold  on  the  public  mind,  that  the  war  which 
shortly  after  ensued  was  waged  with  the  un- 
righteous object  of  forcing  opium  upon  the 
Chinese ;  whereas  the  claim  for  the  property 
arbitrarily  seized  was  but  one  out  of  several 
grounds  of  complaint  which  then  called  for 
redi-ess. 

The  importation  has  of  late  years  been  le- 
galized by  treaty,  and  the  drug  is  now  being 
so  extensively  produced  by  the  Chinese  upon 
their  own  soil  as  sensibly  to  affect  the  demand 
for  the  Indian-grown  commodity.  It  is  a  mis- 
take to  suppose,  as  many  do,  or  to  maintain, 
as  the  American  press  is  apt  to  do,  that  the 
importation  is  confined  to  British  fums  alone. 
They  have  the  larger  share  of  the  trade  in 


22  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

tlieir  hands,  as  they  have  of  every  other 
branch  of  commerce  in  the  country ;  but  there 
are  few,  if  any,  members  of  other  nationah- 
ties  who  can  afford  to  throw  a  stone  at  ''  John 
Bull "  in  the  matter.  But  be  they  who  they 
may  on  whom  the  responsibility  rests,  it  can- 
not be  asserted  that  the  association  involves 
any  more  demoralization  of  character  to  the 
indi\ddual  than  a  connection  with  the  beer, 
wine,  or  liquor  trade  is  found  to  do  in  this 
country.  On  the  contrary,  any  one  who 
knows  anything  of  the  leading  merchants  in 
China  must  have  discovered  from  experience 
that  in  intelligence,  integrity,  worth,  and  lib- 
erality, they  come  behind  none  of  the  so- 
called  merchant  princes  of  Great  Britain. 

As  regards  the  mercantile  residents  in  China 
generally,  it  is  almost  an  impertinence  to  ad- 
vocate then*  innocence  of  some  of  the  charac- 
teristics which  have  been  ascribed  to  them. 
Commercial  integrity  is  perhaps  as  much  the 
rule  with  them  as  with  communities  of  the 
same  class  and  like  importance  in  this  country. 
As  for  any  tendency  to  be  aggressive  against 


Foreign  Residents  in  China.  23 

the  Chinese,  it  does  not  need  much  consider- 
ation to  be  convinced  of  the  fact  that  a  state 
of  war  cannot  possibly  promote  the  pecnniary 
interests  of  any  honest,  Avell-estabhshed  com- 
mercial firm,  whilst  there  is  little  opj)ortunity 
for  the  development  of  individual  aggressive- 
ness, inasmuch  as  a  British  supreme  coiu-t  has 
been  established  at  Shanghae,  with  branch 
provincial  courts  at  the  ports,  and  the  Chinese 
are  only  too  ready  to  nse  all  the  niceties  of 
Eng-lish  law  in  the  defence  of  their  rig-hts. 
Other  treaty  powers  are  more  or  less  similarly 
represented,  so  that  a  Chinese  need  rarely,  if 
ever,  lack  redi'ess  from  wrong  done  to  him  by 
a  foreigner.  Unfortunately  as  much  cannot 
be  said,  were  the  case  transposed.  The  native 
system  of  procedure  is  at  once  so  clumsy  and 
faulty,  and  coiTuption  is  so  rife  in  every  court, 
high  and  low,  whilst  official  antipathy  against 
the  foreigner  exerts  so  strong  an  influence, 
that  redress  against  a  Chinese,  be  the  case 
civil  or  criminal,  is  only  to  be  obtained  after 
persistent  pressm-e,  and  frequently  cannot  be 
secui'ed  at  all. 


24  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

So  mucli  for  tlie  character  of  the  foreign 
merchant  in  China. 

His  habits  are  very  much  what  they  are  at 
home.  He  builds  himself  a  mansion  in  the 
handsomest  style  that  his  firm  or  himself  can 
afford,  and  he  furnishes  it  as  a  rule  with  home- 
made furnitui'e,  plate,  glass,  etc.,  all  of  tlie 
best  quality.  For  his  business  requirements 
through  the  day  the  Shanghae  resident  gene- 
rally keeps  a  Norwich  car,  brougham,  or  some 
other  convenient  kind  of  vehicle,  in  which  to 
traverse  the  settlement  in  all  its  parts.  For 
evening  exercise,  if  a  subordinate,  he  goes  to 
cricket  or  rackets,  or  bowls,  or  takes  a  gallop 
on  a  pet  pony,  or  trots  out  his  dog-cart  or 
phaeton.  If  a  head  of  house  or  a  mamed 
man,  he  drives  out  some  more  pretentious  ve- 
hicle with  a  pair  of  Cape,  Australian,  or  Cali- 
fornian  horses ;  nearly  everybody  diives  or 
rides,  and  he  must  be  a  struggling  creature 
who  cannot  muster  an  animal  or  vehicle  of 
some  kind.  After  the  evening  ailing  comes 
dinner,  and  it  is  at  this  meal  that  the  foreign 
resident  in  China  concentrates  his   efforts  to 


Foreign  Residents  in  China.  25 

forget  that  he  is  an  exile  from  home.  The  na- 
tive markets  abound  Tvdth  fish,  meat,  poultry, 
and  vegetables,  and  the  foreigner's  own  care- 
fully-kept poultry-yard,  pigsty,  dairy,  and  kit- 
chen garden  assist  materially  in  supplying  him 
with  luxuries  not  prociu'able  of  the  same  qual- 
ity amongst  the  Chinese.  Of  stores,  such  as 
those  knoTVTi  at  home  as  oilman's  stores,  he  has 
no  lack,  for  he  imports  all  these  from  England, 
and  there  are  foreign  shops  on  the  spot  which 
abound  in  dehcacies  of  all  kinds,  supplied  to 
them  wholesale  by  Fortnum  &  Mason,  Crosse 
&  Blackwell,  and  other  large  grocery  estab- 
lishments in  this  country.  Wines  of  superior 
quahty  are  as  a  rule  placed  on  the  table,  all  of 
course  imported  from  England ;  and  malt 
liquors  abound  in  every  variety.  Shanghae 
can  even  boast  its  own  brewery,  in  which  an 
old  entei'prising  resident,  Mr.  Evans,  has  suc- 
ceeded, after  years  of  effort,  in  producing  ale 
and  porter  not  to  be  suipassed  in  quality  and 
flavor  by  the  famous  home  brews.  It  may  be 
imagined  therefore  that,  as  far  as  the  material 
is  concerned,  the  table  of  the  foreign  merchant 


26  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

need  not  suffer  much  in  comjDarison  with  the 
board  of  any  well-to-do  gentleman  at  home. 

Hospitality  is  generally  and  liberally  prac- 
ticed, especially  towards  casual  visitors  from 
other  parts  of  the  world  ;  and  it  is  a  rare  table 
which  is  not  often  sun'ounded  by  a  genial, 
chatty  circle  of  friends. 

Society  has,  however,  always  suffered  a 
great  drawback  in  the  paucity  of  ladies  ;  but 
this  want  is  being  rapidly  repaired,  for  a 
manying  mania  has  taken  possession  of  our 
so-called  Chinese  bachelors  of  late,  so  that 
there  are  few  who  visit  England  but  return 
Benedicts.  It  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that 
it  is  so,  for  although  oiu'  countrymen  in  China 
are,  as  has  been  described,  good  men  enough 
in  themselves,  still  they  are  not  such  com- 
mendable characters  but  that  they  need  the 
presence  of  a  woman  to  humanize  them,  and  to 
counteract  the  demoralizing  influences  which 
are  inseparable  from  association  with  inferior 
races,  and  absence  from  home  ties  and  checks. 
Any  fair  ladies  who  may  contemplate  going 
out  to  China,  may  safely  assm'e  themselves 


Foreign  Residents  in  China.  27 

tliat  tlieir  lot  need  not  l)e  at  all  a  subject  of 
commiseration  with  their  friends.  Ladies  in 
China,  from  their  very  paucity,  are  made  so 
much  of,  that  it  needs  all  the  discretion  of 
which  they  are  capable  to  sustain  the  ordeal 
altogether  unharmed,  and  the  style  of  life  is 
such  that,  as  has  been  explained,  but  for  the 
immediate  surroundings  of  people,  scenery, 
and  so  on,  they  need  never  be  oppressed  by 
the  thought  that  they  are  residents  in  a  com- 
paratively barbarous  country. 

The  domestic  servants  are  wonderfully  good 
and  clever  in  adapting  themselves  to  foreign 
notions.  They  are  of  course  Chinese,  and 
men  are  employed,  not  women,  unless  it  be 
for  ladies'-maids  and  nurses.  They  are  always 
called  "  Boys."  There  is  generally  a  head, 
or  house-boy,  who  con-esponds  to  our  butler 
at  home,  and  performs  very  much  the  same 
duties ;  under  him  come  from  two  to  three 
younger  men,  called  "  No.  2  Boys,"  who  look 
after  one's  wardrobe,  attend  at  table,  answer 
the  bell,  and  so  on.  In  larger  establishments, 
the  ''  head  boy  "  is  allowed  to  bring  in  one 


28  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

or  two  of  his  younger  relatives,  or  friends, 
who  are  called  "  learn-pidg-eon,"  i.  c,  appren- 
tices, whilst  they  learn  their  trade.  For 
housemaids  men  are  employed,  called  '^  cool- 
ies," a  lower  class  of  servant,  but  none  the 
less  intelligent  and  useful.  The  kitchen  is 
also  presided  over  by  a  man,  who  has  from  two 
to  four  mates  under  him,  the  real  artists  in 
most  cases.  One  may  live  in  China  for  years, 
and  be  perfectly  satisfied'all.  the  while  with  the 
style  and  skill  with  which  his  viands  are 
served  up,  without  ever 'making  the  acquaint- 
ance of  his  chef  de  cuisine.  The  fact  is  that  a 
good  cook  will  often  serve  half  a  dozen  esta- 
blishments, receiving  -wages  from  each,  and 
each  employer  congratulating  himself  upon 
the  possession  of  an  admirable  artist,  wdiilst 
all  the  while  the  man  is  simply  educating  a 
number  of  mates  and  apprentices,  wdio,  in  the 
course  of  time,  become  chefs  in  their  tm-n. 
They  cook,  of  course,  in  the  best  English  and 
French  styles.  I  have  seen  dinners  and  ban- 
quets laid  out  in  China  that  would  do  credit 
to  home  tables.     If  there  be  anything  that  a 


Foreign  Residents  in  China.  29 

Chinese  has   a   special   gift   for    it   is   cook- 
ing. 

They  are,  moreover,  the  hardiest  servants 
in  the  world  in  case  of  pressure  or  emergency. 
A  master  of  a  house  has  often  occasion  to  send 
for  his  butler  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  tell 
him  that  a  nimiber  of  guests  will  be  in  at  din- 
ner that  evening.  The  simple  answer  is, 
"  Very  well,  sir ;"  and  when  the  hour  arrives, 
there  is  the  dinner,  which,  as  far  as  abundance 
or  cookery  goes,  might  very  well  have  been 
ordered  some  days  beforehand.  It  is  also 
very  much  the  habit,  in  the  winter  months, 
for  gentlemen  to  go  in  parties  up  country 
shooting,  and  first-rate  sport  they  have,  with 
pheasants,  partridges,  deer,  pig,  wild-fowl,  etc., 
free  from  the  trammels  of  preserves,  hcenses, 
or  game-laws.  They  go  in  cosily-furnished 
house-boats,  in  which  they  spend  a  week  or  a 
fortnight  at  a  time.  On  these  occasions  the 
Chinese  servant  is  invaluable.  The  cook, 
"  boy,"  and  "  coolie,"  generally  accompany 
the  party,  and,  although  the  space  is  some- 
what cramped,  still  they  succeed  in  providing 


30  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

their  masters  with  meals  and  comforts  precise- 
ly as  if  they  were  at  home  on  shore,  and  this 
without  a  word  of  grumbling  or  discontent. 
In  short,  when  well  selected  and  managed, 
and  when  kindly  treated,  the  Chinese  "  boy  " 
will  perhaps  match  any  servant  in  the  world 
for  activity,  docility,  honesty,  and  general  use- 
fulness. The  women  servants  are  equally 
good  in  their  way.  Ladies  find  them  invalu- 
able, and  for  the  care  of  children  they  are 
particularly  well  suited,  being  mild,  patient, 
gentle,  and  kindly  to  a  fault. 

I  have  dwelt  thus  much  upon  the  character- 
istics of  the  .servants  employed  by  foreigners, 
not  only  to  show  how  they  fare  in  this  partic- 
ular, but  because  these  servants  are  the  only 
natives  with  whom  the  foreign  merchant  comes 
more  immediately  into  contact.  The  opinion 
prevalent  at  home  that  foreigners  mingle  in 
Chinese  society  generally  is  altogether  a  mis- 
taken one.  The  conventional  rules  of  the 
Chinese  are  so  constituted,  and  their  habits  of 
thought  and  customs  so  peculiar,  that  there  is 
little  or  no  encouragement  to  corn!  acquaint- 


Foreign  Residents  in  China.  31 

ance  on  either  part,  even  were  the  enth'e  igno- 
rance of  each  other's  language  not  to  present 
a  serious  bar  in  the  way  of  an  interchange  of 
ideas.  There  is  a  class  of  Chinese  brokers 
and  middle-men  who  haunt  the  offices  of  the 
merchants,  but  they  are  mostly  shi'ewd,  clever 
upstarts,  whom  the  difficulties  of  interlingual 
conununication  have  introduced  into  the  trade, 
and,  with  rare  exceptions,  they  lay  no  claim 
to  respectability,  even  with  the  Chinese  them- 
selves. The  language  employed  between 
these  brokers  and  the  merchants  is  a  jargon 
made  up  of  English,  Portuguese,  Chinese,  and 
Malay  words,  tortured  into  unrecognizable 
shapes  and  constructions,  and  it  is  little  fitted 
to  sustain  any  conversation  beyond  what  ap- 
pertains to  the  mere  technicalities  of  trade.  I 
have  frequently  expressed  to  our  merchants 
the  opinion  that  it  is  a  pity  they  do  not  take 
the  trouble  to  learn  the  Chinese  language. 
Its  acquirement  in  the  spoken  fonn  to  an  ex- 
tent sufficient  for  all  practical  pm-poses  offers 
no  difficulties  that  an  average  intellect  and  a 
moderate  share  of  determination  cannot  sur- 


32  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

mount,  and  familiarity  with  it  ^Aoiild  have  the 
effect  of  freeing  the  foreigner  from  the  domi- 
nation of  roguish  brokers  and  compradores,  at 
whose  mercy  he  now  hes,  whilst  it  would  open 
the  way  to  a  more  extended  acquaintance  and 
friendly  intercourse  to  the  mutual  advantage 
of  both  parties.  There  is  perhaps  no  country 
in  the  world,  frequented  by  the  Enghsh-speak 
ing  race,  in  which  merchants  are  so  lamentably 
ignorant  of  the  customs  and  resoui'ces  of  the 
locahty  in  which  they  hve  as  they  are  at  this 
moment  in  China,  and  this  is  entirely  to  be  at- 
tributed to  a  want  of  famihaiity  with  the  lan- 
guage. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

MISSIONARIES    IN    CHINA. 

After  the  merchants  of  China,  the  mission- 
aries next  claim  attention  as  an  important  ele- 
ment of  foreign  society.  In  approaching  this 
part  of  my  subject,  I  wish  to  premise  that  I 
have  no  sympathy  mth  those  who,  for  want 
of  consideration  or  from  mere  prejudice,  think 
hghtly  of  the  work  and  character  of  the 
missionar)^  The  man  who  honestly  devotes 
his  life  and  energies  to  the  instruction  of  the 
poor  and  ignorant  at  home,  or  to  the  con- 
version of  benighted  heathen  abroad,  must 
always  meiit  the  profound  respect  of  every 
right-minded  individual.  It  does  not  need 
my  feeble  testimony  to  sustain  the  assertion 
that  there  have  been  and  now  are  many  such 
devoted  men  of  all  denominations  of  the 
Chiistian  Chmxh  laboring  in  China,  and  if 


34  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

I  ventui'e  in  any  way  to  criticise  the  body,  it 
is  not  from  any  lack  of  appreciation  of  its 
high  and  sacred  objects,  but  simply  because 
missionaries  are  hmnan,  and  there  cannot  but 
be  many  things  in  which  those  who  look  at 
their  proceedings  from  another  standpoint 
than  their  own,  must  find  occasion  for  dissent 
or  remark. 

Missionaries  in  China,  like  their  co-religion- 
ists in  the  West,  are  divided  into  two  principal 
sections,  Romanist  and  Protestant ;  and  the 
latter  are  again  subdivided,  unhappily,  into 
denominations  numerous  enough  to  puzzle 
their  fellow-Clu-istians,  let  alone  the  heathen 
to  whom  they  are  accredited.  It  is  very  much 
the  fashion  with  persons  who  are  only  too 
glad  to  find  occasion  for  complaint  against 
Protestant  missionaries  to  subject  them  to  an 
unreasoning  comparison  with  their  Romanist 
bretlu'en,  much  to  the  discredit  of  the  former. 
This  is,  to  say  the  least,  unfair.  The  two 
classes  of  laborers  go  out  under  such  diame- 
trically opposite  systems  of  church  organization 
and  discipline,  and  they  pursue  their  objects 


Missionaries  in  China.  35 

in  such  entirely  different  methods,  that  no 
comparison,  except  as  regards  the  several 
results  of  their  labors,  can  be  either  just  or 
accm'ate,  and  this  it  is  next  to  impossible 
to  institute  to  any  satisfactoiy  degree.  Even 
to  attempt  it  would  be  to  launch  upon  a  sea 
of  controversy  as  to  what  constitutes  a  con- 
vert, and  which  is  nearer  the  right,  Romanist 
or  Protestant.  I  shall  make  it  my  endeavor 
to  avoid  such  invidious  comjiarisons  as  much 
as  possible,  preferring  to  treat  of  both  parties 
in  their  several  relations  to  the  people  amongst 
whom  they  labor. 

The  Romanist  missionaries  one  sees  but 
little  of,  although,  as  compared  to  the  Protes- 
tants, their  name  is  legion.  Their  system  is 
to  penetrate  deeply  into  the  interior  the 
moment  they  arrive,  to  disassociate  themselves 
enth*ely  from  the  mercantile  classes  of  foreign- 
ers, and  to  work  disguised  as  natives,  unob- 
trusively and  unremittingly,  at  the  various 
stations  which  have  been  occupied  by  them 
for  years  ;  in  some  cases,  for  centuries.  Their 
devotion  is  as  remarkable  as  their  success  has 


36  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

been  astonisliing,  and  I  am  one  of  those  who 
believe  that  they  have  been  the  means  of 
accompHshing  and  still  do  accomplish  a  vast 
amount  of  good.  They  rely  mainly  upon 
educational  means  for  secuiing  adherents,  and 
although  the  process  must  necessarily  be  a 
slow  one,  yet  the  results,  when  these  come 
to  exhibit  themselves,  are  certainly  more  satis- 
factory as  regards  the  number  and  pemianency 
of  the  conversions.  Wherever  a  Romanist 
missionary  station  is  found  in  a  town  or  village, 
it  is  sure  to  be  a  nucleus  of  a  more  or  less 
extended  circle  of  Cln-istian  families,  in  many 
of  which  the  faith  has  been  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  I  have 
been  often  struck  by  the  quiet  and  respecta- 
bihty  which  prevails  amongst  such  communi- 
ties as  compared  to  the  heathen  around  them,  as 
also  by  the  respect  and  attachment  shown 
by  them  towards  their  "  spuitual  fathers,"  as 
the  priests  are  usually  teraied. 

It  was,  I  think,  an  unfortunate  incident  in 
the  history  of  Roman  Catholic  missions, 
and,  by  association,  in  that  of  Christian  mis- 


Missionaries  in  China.  37 

sions  in  China  generally,  when  the  French 
Government  initiated  the  measure  of  exacting 
toleration  of  Chidstianity  from  the-  Chinese  as 
a  treaty  right.  It  has  had  the  effect  of  with- 
drawing the  Romanist  laborers  from  the  se- 
clusion which  until  then  had  been  a  necessity, 
of  emboldening  them  to  claim  the  restitution 
of  properties  and  privileges  which  had  long 
ago  been  forfeited  on  j)ohtical  grounds,  and  of 
encouraging  them  latterly  even  to  go  the 
length  of  asserting  judicial  rights  over  the 
native  members  of  then-  chm'ches,  and  seeking 
to  release  them  from  their  fealty  to  their  pro- 
per sovereign.  As  a  natural  consequence  of 
such  high-handed  proceedings,  the  jealousy  of 
the  Chinese  Government  has  been  roused 
against  foreign  propagandism  in  general,  a 
sympathetic  enmity  has  taken  hold  of  the 
minds  of  the  influential  classes  and  hterati, 
and  both  have  not  been  slow  to  profit  by  the 
occasion  to  incite  the  entire  population  against 
foreigners  and  their  faith.  Hence  the  agita- 
tions, persecutions,  and  massacres,  which  have 
left  their  bloody  mark  upon  the  relations  of 


38  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

the  past  few  years,  and  which  are  but  a  fore- 
taste, it  is  to  be  feared,  of  what  we  may  yet 
have  to  mom-n  in  the  future. 

Protestant  missionaries  pm'sue  their  object, 
as  has  been  remarked,  upon  a  wholly  differ- 
ent principle.  They  go  out  as  a  rule  married, 
and  the  majority  settle  at  the  open  ports, 
where  they  build  themselves  foreign  houses, 
for  the  most  part,  in  or  near  the  concessions 
common  to  all  foreign  residents,  and  mix  more 
or  less  in  the  foreign  society  of  each  place. 
They  are  careful  to  disclaim  the  possession  of 
a  common  object  or  interest  with  the  mer- 
chants amongst  whom  they  live ;  nevertheless 
it  cannot  but  be  that  the  natives  fail  to  give 
them  credit  for  the  self-sacrificing  character  of 
their  mission,  and  that  as  a  consequence  they 
lose  a  certain  amount  of  influence  and  respect. 
As  regards  theh  married  condition,  I  am  not 
by  any  means  prepared  to  condemn  it,  or  to 
advocate  celibacy  as  a  rule,  for  I  know  of 
many  devoted  couples,  whose  united  and  ener- 
getic efforts  have  been  productive  of  great 
good.     At  the  same  time  I  ventm-e  to  think 


Missionaries  in  China.  39 

that  a  man  or  woman  laboring  single-handed 
must  of  necessity  prove  a  more  effective  mis- 
sionary as  far  as  China  is  concerned,  for  not 
only  is  increased  leism-e  afforded  for  undivided 
attention  to  the  work,  but  more  opportunity 
and  freedom  are  given  for  complete  disassoci- 
ation  from  foreign  smTOundings,  and  a  thor- 
ough seclusion  amongst  the  natives ;  and  there 
is  a  greater  likelihood  moreover  of  earning 
the  good-will  and  resj^ect  of  the  Chinese,  in 
whose  eyes  celibacy  constitutes  an  important 
element  of  self-sacrifice. 

The  Protestant  missionaries,  save  in  the 
case  of  one  particular  denomination,  retain 
their  di*ess  and  national  habits,  and  they  are 
right.  Disguise,  although  so  universally  and 
successfully  employed  by  the  Romanists,  must 
be  regarded  as  objectionable.  It  is  calculated 
to  lower  the  individual  in  the  opinion  of  the 
natives,  and  where  it  is  employed,  as  in  the 
exceptional  case  alluded  to,  by  the  female 
members  of  the  mission  likewise,  the  effect  is 
even  more  mischievous. 

The    Protestant   missionaries,    again,    have 


40  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliay. 

shown  no  inclination  to  indulge  the  extrava- 
gant pretensions  which  have  been  arcribed  to 
their  Romanist  co-laborers  in  regard  to  the 
withdrawal  of  converts  from  native  jurisdic- 
tion. I  have  found,  it  is  true,  in  my  consular 
relations  with  them,  a  tendency  to  beheve 
their  converts  always  to  be  in  the  right,  when- 
ever a  dispute  has  occurred  with  the  heathen 
or  the  mandarins;  but  this  is  a  pardonable 
weakness,  which  is  easily  accounted  for  under 
the  circumstances,  and  any  evil  results  likely 
to  arise  out  of  it  can  always  be  checked  by 
the  disinterested   course  of  the  Consuh 

I  am  not  in  a  position  to  state  definitely 
what  are  the  results  of  Protestant  missionary 
labor   amongst   the    Chinese    so   far.     Their 
practice  of  only  reckoning  as  converts  those 
adults  whom  they  conscientiously  believe  to 
have  been  brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  reduces  their  statistics  of  proselytism 
to  a  very  material  extent ;   but  even  with  this 
check,  and  taking  into  consideration,  on  the 
one   hand,    the  limited  number   of   laborers, 
and,  on  the  other,  the  difficulty  of  bringing 


Missionaries  in  China.  41 

the  Chinese  mind  to  appreciate  abstract  re- 
ligious tiTiths  independently  of  sensational 
influences,  I  think  I  am  only  doing  the 
Protestant  missionaries  simple  justice  when  I 
state  that  their  efforts  have  been  attended 
with  exceptional  success,  and  this  although  it 
is  but  a  short  while  ago  since  they  ceased  to 
count  their  converts  by  mere  hundreds. 

Then'  progress  might  have  been  yet  more 
marked,  in  my  opinion,  could  they  have  been 
content  to  leave  denominational  differences  at 
home,  and  could  they  have  avoided  the  un- 
happy controversies  in  respect  to  the  best 
rendering  of  the  term  for  GtOD,  which  have  not 
only  occasioned  disunion  amongst  themselves, 
but  have  tended  to  confuse  the  minds  of  the 
natives  as  to  the  character  and  attributes  of 
the  Deity. 

They  have  eiTed  likewise  in  other  points 
which  it  is  necessary  to  call  attention  to  as 
bearing  upon  their  influence  mth  the  natives. 
One  is  a  propensity  to  erect  pretentious 
churches  after  the  foreign  style  of  architecture, 
with  tall  steeples    or   towers  that  show  out 


42  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

obtrusively  over  the  uniformly  low  roofs  of  a 
Chinese  city.      These  towers  are  apt  to  create 
ill-will  in  an  entire  population,  the  Chinese 
idea  being  that  any  erection  pointing  upwards, 
unless  it  be  one  of  their  own  proj^itiatory  pa- 
godas, is  calculated  to  bring  down  evil  influ- 
ences productive  of  ill  fortune,   disease,  and 
death,  upon  the  entu-e  neighborhood.     A  Chi- 
naman, is,  moreover,  a  timid  creature,  and  it 
is  my  behef  that  for  one  stranger  who  would 
hesitate  to  enter  a  common-place  native  build- 
ing supposed  to  be  tenanted  or  used  by  a  for- 
eigner, three  would  shrink  from  being  seen 
to  approach  a  construction  the  very  architec- 
ture of  which  would  indicate  its  strange  and 
obnoxious  pm-pose.     Not  that  the  Protestant 
missionaries  are  alone  open  to  criticism  in  this 
particular.     Since  the  governmental  toleration 
of  Christianity,  secured  by  the  Romanists  un- 
der the  French  treaty,  they  have  been  much  too 
forward  in  marking  concessions  made  to  them 
of  plots  formerly  theu's  by  erecting  thereon 
cathedrals  of  obtrusive  size  and  style  of  archi- 
tecture, offending  thereby  not  only  the  super- 


^  Missionaries  in  China.  43 

stitions,  but  the  religious  prejudices  of  the 
natives,  who  naturally  object  to  see  Christian 
places  of  worship  raised  upon  sites  for  genera- 
tions sacred  to  their  own  heathen  shrines. 

Another  mistake  which  the  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries have  made  is  in  confining  their 
efforts  too  exclusively  to  the  acquirement  of 
local  patois  of  the  language,  and  to  the 
production  therein  of  tracts  and  translations 
of  the  Scriptm-es ;  the  result,  as  regards  the 
natives,  being  very  much  what  might  be 
imagined  in  England  were  foreign  pro23agan- 
dists  to  attempt  to  preach  and  distribute 
books  in  a  Somersetshire,  Yorkshire,  cockney, 
or  any  other  dialect.  Some  missionaries,  in 
their  over-estimate  of  the  difficulty  of  acquu*- 
ing  the  wiitten  Chinese  language  for  them- 
selves, or  of  getting  illiterate  Chinese  to 
master  it  with  sufficient  facility  to  become 
readers  of  their  books  within  a  reasonable 
space  of  time,  have  even  hit  upon  the  novel 
expedient  of  inventing  a  new  written  medium, 
by  "Romanizing,"  as  they  call  it,  the  Chinese 
language,  that  is,   expressing  it  phonetically 


44  Tlie  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

by  means  of  our  alphabetical  system,  and 
schools  are  now  taught  and  books  published 
in  this  hybrid  character.  It  is  argued  that, 
owing  to  the  comparative  ease  with  which 
this  mode  of  writing  Chinese  is  acquired,  it 
becomes  the  means  of  enabling  the  simplest 
child  or  oldest  crone  to  read  the  Bible  in  the 
native  tongue  after  a  few  lessons,  a  feat 
neither  could  otherwise  accomplish.  And  to 
a  certain  extent  this  is  tiTie.  But  it  stands  to 
reason  that  for  every  child  or  old  woman  who 
may  thus  be  won  over,  there  must  be  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  left  wholly  unreached,  and 
the  system  nmst  therefore  fail  of  general  or 
practical  utility.  As  regards  preaching  or 
teaching  in  a  local  ^patois,  it  may  secure  atten- 
tion and  apprehension  amongst  the  lower 
classes  in  a  particular  neighborhood,  but  the 
speaker,  unless  he  acquire  more  than  one  pa- 
tois— there  being  nearly  one  to  every  large 
city — ^must  be  at  a  manifest  disadvantage 
elsewhere,  whilst  no  respectable  or  educated 
person   A^ill   demean   himself  to  listen,   save 


Missionaries  in  China.  45 

perhaps   for   curiosity's  sake,    to  a  foreigner 
speaking-  in  a  vulgar  dialect. 

The  same  argument  applies  with  even  more 
force  to  the  publication  of  books  in  the  collo- 
quial. There  is  perhaps  no  people  who  are 
more  partial  to  reading  than  the  Chinese,  or 
who  better  ap^oreciate  beauty  of  composition 
and  purity  of  style  in  their  books.  Until  the 
missionaries  study  more  than  they  have  done 
to  gi'atify  this  taste,  their  publications  must 
fail  to  atti'act  attention  with  the  readino: 
classes,  and  may  even,  by  exciting  contempt, 
occasion  more  harm  than  good.  A  Chinese 
statesman  was  not  much  mistaken  when  he 
observed  in  a  late  memorial  that  native  insti- 
tutions and  creeds  had  but  little  to  fear  from 
the  disturbing  influences  of  missionary  publi- 
cations. It  is  only  fair  I  should  add  that  there 
are  exceptions  to  this  rule ;  some  few  mission- 
aries having  effected  real  good  by  placing  be- 
fore the  Chinese  translations  of  some  of  our 
scientific  works,  as  well  as  original  composi- 
tions on  popular  subjects,  all  in  good  scholas- 
tic style,  and  they  have  been  rewarded  by  the 


46  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

popularity  that  these  works  have  earned  in 
even  the  best  circles. 

In  connection  with  the  limited  results  of 
Protestant  missionary  teaching  so  far,  I  owe  it 
to  the  Protestant  missionary  body  to  state  that 
they  themselves  ascribe  much  of  their  want  of 
success  to  the  demoralizing  effects  of  the  opium 
trade,  as  well  as  to  a  failure  on  the  j^art  of 
foreigners  generally  to  support  them  in  their 
teachings  by  a  conduct  and  example  worthy 
of  the  Christian  profession.  It  cannot  be 
doubted  that  the  opium  traffic  has  much  to 
answer  for  in  the  way  of  neutralizing  mission- 
ary efforts,  not  only  in  its  direct  effects  upon 
the  victims  themselves,  but  in  the  hatred  and 
suspicion  of  everything  foreign  which  it  has 
engendered  in  the  minds  of  the  natives  gene- 
rally. But  as  regards  the  other  counteracting 
influence  which  the  missionaries  plead  in  bar 
of  success,  I  think  they  are  apt  to  take  up  a 
too  decided  opinion.  Residence  in  the  East 
and  association  with  heathen  and  less  civilized 
races  do  not  as  a  rule  tend  to  elevate  the 
moral  and  mental  standard  to  which  the  Euro- 


Missionaries  in  China.  47 

pean  may  have  been  schooled  in  his  own  coun- 
try. But  foreign  residents  in  China  are,  I 
think,  as  Httle  affected  by  this  demorahzation, 
if  I  may  so  term  it,  as  perhaps  any  wanderers 
into  Eastern  cHmes ;  and  if  the  Chinese  take 
the  trouble  to  study  them  at  all  it  is  rather  to 
contemplate  with  wonder  their  (in  the  Chinese 
idea)  bizarre  habits  and  notions  than  to  draw 
any  deductions  from  their  conduct  in  a  moral 
point  of  view.  Individual  instances  no  doubt 
do  occur  in  which  the  missionary  finds  himself 
posed  by  allusions  to  laxity  of  conduct  in  his 
own  countrymen,  but  I  question  whether  the 
objection  seriously  presents  itself  to  the  minds 
of  the  masses  as  an  argument  against  Chris- 
tianity. 

The  whole  missionary  question  is  a  pei'plex- 
ing  one.  As  has  been  already  observed,  the 
proceedings  of  the  Romanists,  although  found- 
ed upon  treaty  rights,  have  tended  to  rouse  the 
hitherto  dormant  jealousy  of  the  Chinese 
Government  and  influential  classes,  and  this 
has  led  to  the  prevalence  for  the  moment  of  a 
state  of  feelings  thoroughly  hostile  to  foreign- 


48  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliay. 

ers,  and  whicli  tlie  merest  accident  at  any 
point  may  so  excite  or  intensify  as  to  bring 
about  a  dangerous  outbreak  when  least  ex- 
pected. It  is  a  mistake,  however,  to  assert, 
as  some  do,  that  this  is  but  a  phase  of  the 
natural  antipathy  with  which  the  Chinese 
regard  the  foreigner,  or  to  argue,  as  others 
do,  that  it  is  his  faith  alone  which  is  objected 
to,  and  that  all  hostility  would  cease  with  the 
retraction  of  the  treaty  rights  of  toleration, 
and  consequently  of  foreign  inters^ention  in 
support  of  missionaries  and  their  adherents. 
To  the  mass  of  the  people  the  position  of 
foreigners  in  the  country  is  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference, and  a  foreigner  may  usually  pass 
tlnrough  their  most  crowded  haunts  ^v^^th  im- 
munity from  personal  risk,"^  save  where  an 
impression  prevails  that  the  local  authorities 
would  wink  at  his  being  interfered  with. 
But  with  the  mandarins  and  the  class  to  which 
they  belong  the  case  is  different.     They  have 

*  An  exception  must  be  recorded  against  tlie  province  of  Ho- 
nan ,  the  population  of  ■which  has  the  character  of  being  turbu- 
lent, and  has  generaFy  been  found  inimical  by  foreign  travellers. 


Missionaries  in  China.  49 

never  been  cordial,  and  some  of  them  do  not 
care  to  conceal  their  dislike,  or  even  hostility. 
This  feeling,  nevertheless,  as  far  as  they  are 
concerned,  has  been  merely  personal  to  the 
foreigner  and  the  progress  he  represents,  and 
until  lately  has  had  little  to  do  with  his  reli- 
gion. On  the  contrary,  it  is  my  belief,  based 
upon  the  statements  of  those  competent  to 
judge,  that  in  the  negotiations  which  imme- 
diately preceded  the  conclusion  of  the  British 
treaty,  the  toleration  clause  was  found  to  be 
one  of  those  most  easily  pressed  upon  the 
acceptance  of  the  Chinese  Commissioners. 

This  comparative  indifference,  on  the  one 
hand,  to  the  foreigner,  and  on  the  other  to  his 
f^ith,  might  have  continued  indefinitely,  but 
for  the  near  approach  of  the  period  when 
the  re\'ision  of  the  treaties  was  to  take  place, 
when  it  was  feared  that  innovations  of  all 
kinds  would  be  introduced  by  foreigners,  in 
the  way  of  telegraphs,  railways,  and  such  like. 
The  anti-foreign  party  felt  that  the  very  exist- 
ence of  their  time-honored  institutions  depend- 
ed upon  prompt  action  in  a  repellent  direction 


50  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

A  mission  was  organized,  on  tlie  one  hand,  for 
tlie  express  purpose  of  coaxing  foreign  powers 
into  foregoing,  for  the  time  being,  any  extra- 
vagant demands,  whilst  on  the  other,  tlie  ill- 
ad\ased  pretensions  of  the  Romanists,  and  their 
practice  of  collecting  infants  for  their  orphan- 
ages, were  each  in  its  way  made  a  pretext  for 
disseminating  all  kinds  of  evil  stories  against 
foreigners  generally.  The  result  has  sliow^n 
with  how  much  of  success  this  has  been  effect- 
ed, more  perhaps  than  the  projectors  at  all  an- 
ticipated. The  Government  has  since  pro- 
fessed its  inability  to  stem  the  toiTent,  the 
floodgates  of  which,  by  means  of  a  temporiz- 
ing and  feeble  policy,  it  had  been  indirectly 
instiamiental  in  opening;  whilst  it  has  pro- 
posed, by  way  of  solution  of  the  difficulty, 
that  propagandism  by  foreigners  should  be 
placed  on  a  different  footing  for  the  future. 
The  Chinese  officials  are  rather  prone  thus  to 
allow  a  desired  public  opinion  to  grow  into 
shape,  and  even  to  venture  to  encourage  its 
formation  by  the  employment  of  government- 
al appliances,  and  then   to  affect  an  inability 


Missionaries  in  China.  51 

to  pursue  any  coiTective  policy  that  may  be 
suggested,  on  the  plea  that  the  very  ojoinion 
which  they  have  been  to  a  certain  extent  the 
means  of  creating  is  too  deeply  rooted  to  be 
lightly  overruled. 

It  would  be  out  of  place  for  me  to  suggest 
the  best  means  of  meeting  the  emergency.  I 
will  only  ventm-e  to  deprecate  sincerely  the 
retraction  of  any  existing  treaty  stipulations. 
It  would  simply  be  to  play  directly  into  tlie 
hands  of  those  of  the  Chinese  whose  cherished 
object  is  not  so  much  to  crush  the  missionary, 
as  to  expel,  or  at  any  rate,  to  restrict  the  for- 
eigner ;  to  endanger  the  whole  fabric  of  treaty 
relations,  which  has  been  erected  at  the  cost 
of  so  much  blood  and  treasure ;  and  to 
plunge  us  possibly  into  yet  deeper  compli- 
cations. The  treaty  I  believe  to  be  entire- 
ly equal  to  the  satisfactory  solution  of  any 
difficulties  which  a  missionary  might  per- 
chance occasion  by  his  excess  of  zeal  or  in- 
discretion. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CONSULS  AND  CUSTOMS  AUTHOEITIES,  ETC. 

Having  tlius  discussed  the  Mercantile  and 
Missionary  sections  of  the  foreign  communi- 
ties in  China,  it  only  remains  to  say  a  word  or 
two  resjoecting  the  other  classes  of  foreign 
residents  alkided  to,  namely,  the  vagrants 
and  the  Consular  and  Custom  House  authori- 
ties. 

The  vagrant  or  destitute  foreigners  consist 
chiefly  of  deserters  from  ships,  and  mechanics 
who  have  failed  in  the  attempt  to  establish 
themselves,  or  who,  ha^ang  established  them- 
selves in  a  small  way,  live  a  sort  of  hand-to- 
mouth  existence  upon  the  wants  of  the  sea- 
faring men  resorting  to  the  port.  This  class 
happily  is  not  numerous,  but  it  is  worthy  of 
notice  as  being  a  fruitful  occasion  of  misun- 
derstanding with  the  Chinese  authorities,  owing 


Consuls  and  Customs  AutJwrities.         53 

to  their  reckless  and  aggressive  bearing  to- 
wards the  natives.  The  foreign  authorities 
have  to  keep  them  under  strict  surveillance 
and  check,  and  at  times  to  proceed  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  deporting  them  from  the  country, 
for  which  j)urpose,  in  the  case  of  the  British, 
special  powers  are  given  by  local  ordinances. 
At  Shanghae  a  refuge  has  been  instituted  by 
voluntary  contribution  and  with  Consular  co- 
operation, and  it  is  calculated  to  do  much 
good  in  ridding  society  of  this  dangerous 
class. 

Of  Consular  officials  it  does  not  befit  me  to 
say  much,  being  myself  a  member  of  that 
body.  I  owe  it,  however,  to  my  fellow-offi- 
cials to  state,  that  they  are  zealous  and  hard- 
working servants  of  the  Crown,  (I  am  now 
speaking  of  my  own  countrymen,)  and  that 
they  merit  all  the  confidence  that  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  public  can  give  them.  Unlike  our 
Consular  agents  in  European  and  other  coun- 
tries, they  are  charged  with  important  judicial 
functions  under  the  Supreme  Court  at  Shang- 
hae, and,  although  in  all  international  matters 


54  Tlie  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

they  are  entirely  accountable  to  H.M.'s  Minis- 
ter at  Peking-,  tliey  nevertheless  are  regarded 
by  the  Chinese  to  some  extent  as  representative 
functionaries,  and  practically  they  exercise 
considerable  diplomatic  influence  in  the  sever- 
al districts  to  which  they  are  accredited.  From 
the  distance  at  which  they  are  removed  from 
their  immediate  superiors,  and  the  m-gency 
of  the  demand  made  upon  their  action  when 
needed,  they  are  constantly  placed  in  circum- 
stances which  call  for  the  exercise  of  all  their 
faculties  in  the  loyal  and  discreet  solution  of 
difficulties,  and  I  think  the  instances  are  rare 
in  which  they  have  shown  themselves  unequal 
to  an  emergency.  There  has  been  a  tendency 
of  late  with  the  press  to  characterize  our  Consuls 
as  officious,  as  aggressive,  as  fond  of  indulging 
a  little  brief  authority,  and  as  being  too  ready 
to  claim  naval  assistance  in  the  adjustment  of 
questions.  But  these  are  the  random  verdicts 
of  individuals  who  do  not  know  our  Consuls, 
and  are  simply  ignorant  of  the  difficulties  by 
which  they  are  beset.  These  latter  cannot  be 
fully  entered  into  here,  but  something  of  their 


Consuls  and  Customs  AutTiorities.         55 

nature  may  be  imag-ined  from  the  fact  that 
British  Consuls  have  on  the  one  hand  to  satisfy 
the  clamorings  of  their  countrymen  for  the 
full  enjoyment  of  privileges  under  a  treaty, 
the  penal  stij^ulations  of  which  Consular  au- 
thority is  so  fully  empowered,  as  well  as 
stringently  compelled,  to  enforce,  whilst  on  the 
other  hand  they  find  themselves  met  by  the 
Chinese  authorities  in  a  spirit  which  goes  far 
towards  neutralizing  their  efforts  to  cany 
out  that  treaty  on  principles  of  justice  to  both 
parties.  The  above  remarks  entirely  apply 
to  the  Consuls-General  and  Consuls  of  other 
Treaty  Powers  besides  Great  Britain,  save  in 
the  matter  of  accountability  to  the  British 
Minister  and  Supreme  Court. 

The  Customs  officials  are  foreign  employes 
under  the  Chinese  Government.  The  system 
was  introduced  years  ago  by  Consul  (now  Sir 
Rutherford)  Alcock,  at  Shanghae.  He  found 
his  efforts  to  enforce  strict  adlierence  to  the 
tariff  on  the  part  of  British  merchants  so  entire- 
ly frustrated  by  the  collusion  of  the  native 
Customs  officials  with  a  few  of  the  less  scrupu- 


5n  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

lous  amongst  the  communitj,  that  he  suggest- 
ed to  the  Chinese  the  introduction  of  a  foreign 
element  into  their  Customs  staff,  and  they  fell 
in  with  the  proposition  forthwith.  The  experi- 
ment, commenced  in  the  first  instance  at  Shang- 
hae,  was  found  to  be  attended  with  such  suc- 
cess in  protecting  the  revenue  from  fraud,  that 
the  Chinese  were  glad  to  extend  it  to  all  the 
open  ports,  and  a  regular  service  has  thus 
grown  into  being,  which  is  superintended  by  a 
British  Inspector- General  at  Peking,  and  offi- 
cered, even  down  to  tide-waiters,  by  foreign- 
ers of  all  nations  ;  a  thoroughly  able  and  well- 
educated  body  of  men.  Their  perfect  acquaint- 
ance with  the  language,  the  acquirement  of 
which  is  made  a  condition  of  advancement, 
the  intimate  relations  in  which  they  stand  by 
virtue  of  their  functions  towards  the  Chinese 
Government  and  authorities,  and  the  confi- 
dence with  which  these  officers  have  been 
treated  by  the  Govermhents  to  which  they 
severally  belong,  as  well  as  by  their  own  coun- 
trymen, have  all  combined  to  place  the  foreign 
Customs  staff,  and  more  especially  its  leaders, 


Consuls  and  Customs  Authorities.  57 

on  a  splendid  vantage  ground  for  convincing 
the  Chinese  that  their  true  interest  lies  in  ex- 
tending and  consolidating  their  intercourse 
^^dth  foreign  nations,  and  in  encoui'aging  the 
admission  into  the  country  of  a  more  lively 
progress,  and  more  advanced  civilization  tlian 
their  own.  For  all  that  I  can  assert  to  the 
contrary,  efforts  may  not  have  been  wanting 
on  then-  part  to  promote  these  desu-able  objects, 
and  something  has  been  done  towards  meeting 
the  requirements  of  the  trade  by  the  construc- 
tion of  a  few  lighthouses,  beacons,  etc.,  on  the 
coast ;  but  the  general  results  so  far  certainly 
warrant  me  in  stating  that  the  magnificent  op- 
portunities thus  enjoyed  have  not  by  any 
means  been  improved  as  they  might  have 
been.  A  late  issue  of  '^  The  Times  "  news- 
paper has  given  publicity  to  the  translation  of 
a  memorial  which  the  Inspector-General,  Mr. 
Hart,  has  addressed  to  Ihe  Chinese  throne, 
calling  attention  to  eiTors  in  the  domestic  and 
foreign  policies  of  the  nation,  and  sugg  3sting 
a  more  enlightened  com'se  of  action  in  the  in- 
terest equally  of  China  as  of  Foreign  Powers 


68  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

I  hail  this  representation  as  a  step  in  the  light 
direction ;  but  I  none  the  less  regret  that  ef- 
forts of  the  kind  were  not  commenced  at  an 
earlier  period,  and  not  more  persistently  cai'- 
ried  out  since. 


CHAPTER    VL 

CUSTOMS    OF   THE    CHINESE. SHOP    SIGNS. 

The  first  tiling  that  must  attract  tlie  eye  of 
an  observant  stranger,  upon  finding  himself 
in  a  Chinese  town,  presuming  him  to  have 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  foul  odors 
which  always  infest  the  crowded  suburbs  lining 
the  approaches  thereto,  will  be  the  pictm-esque 
vista  presented  by  the  pei'petually  recm-ring 
series  of  smart  shop-signs  displayed  in  every 
principal  thoroughfare.  The  peculiar  con- 
formation of  the  Chinese  character,  and  the 
possibility  of  collocating  the  words  either  in 
horizontal,  perpendicular,  or  any  other  lines 
without  prejudice  to  legibility,  renders  them 
particularly  well  adapted  for  decorative  pm-- 
poses ;  and  the  Chinese  exhibit  much  taste 
and   skill   in   turning   this    characteristic    to 


60  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

advantage  in  advertising  tlieii'  business  and 
wares. 

The  sliop  signs,  it  must  be  understood,  are 
not,  as  with  us,  displayed  merely  upon  the 
shop-fronts;  but  each  establishment  is  fur- 
nished with  projecting  eaves,  frequently  elab- 
orately carved  and  decorated,  and  under  these 
at  either  corner  next  the  street,  is  suspended 
or  erected  a  perpendicular  board  richly  vai'- 
nished,  and  inscribed  on  both  sides  with  the 
name  of  the  concern  and  a  notice  of  the  com- 
modities sold,  so  that  it  may  be  read  at  a  dis- 
tance by  persons  passing  up  or  down  the 
street :  very  frequently  a  scroll  of  cloth  also 
inscribed  on  both  sides  is  hung  across  the 
street  for  the  same  purpose.  It  is  the  long 
line  of  these  gaudy  signs,  stretching  overhead 
and  on  both  sides,  and  visible  at  times  for  a 
full  mile  or  more,  that  forms  the  very  attract- 
ive vista  above  alluded  to. 

Shops  and  business  houses  are  not  known 
in  China  by  the  names  of  the  proprietors  or 
finns,  as  in  om-  plain,  common-sense  country. 
When   Brown,   Jones,   and  Robinson,   or,   to 


Customs  of  the  CJiinese.  61 

select  patronymics  con*espondingly  common 
in  China,  when  King,  Gold,  and  Stone,  set 
up  shop  or  commence  business,  they  assume  a 
style  or  designation,  which  is  as  a  rule  com- 
posed of  two  words,  the  most  felicitous  in 
their  meaning  that  can  be  selected,  such,  for 
example,  as  "Celestial  affluence,"  '' Peq^etual 
success^"  ''  Overflowing  abundance,"  etc.;  and 
the  concern  is  thenceforward  known  by  that 
title,  all  bills,  notes,  and  business  documents 
being  authenticated  by  its  employment. 

Some  idea  of  the  Avorking  of  this  practice 
may  be  derived  from  comparing  it  mth  the 
similar  one  connnon  amonorst  the  French  and 
other  continental  nations,  of  giving  fancy 
names  to  then*  establishments,  such  as  "  Au 
bon  diable,"  "  Au  fidele  berger,"  "A  la  cor- 
beille  des  flem-s,"  etc.;  the  only  difference  be- 
ing that  in  the  case  of  the  Europeans  the 
names  of  the  partners  in  the  firm  are  employed 
or  displayed  likewise,  whereas  with  the  Chi- 
nese they  never  appear,  not  even  in  coiTes- 
pondence.  In  many  cases  the  same  designa- 
tion is  proudly  retained  by  the  family  for  sev- 


62  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

eral  generations,  and  not  unfrequently  tins 
conceit  is  earned  to  the  length  of  cherishing 
and  even  exhibiting  the  original  old  sign-board 
with  which  the  ancestors  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  business,  religiously  protected  from 
paint  or  repairs.  It  may  seem  sti*ange  that 
any  language  should  contain  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  felicitous  terms  to  suit  the  wants  of  the 
business  portion  of  so  vast  a  poj)ulation  ;  but 
the  difficulty  does  not  exist  in  practice,  and 
although  many  characters  must  of  necessity 
be  reiterated  over  and  over  again  in  the  signs 
of  a  single  street,  not  to  say  town,  yet  so  cle- 
verly are  the  changes  rung  upon  the  class  of 
characters  employed,  and  so  excellently  is 
their  distribution  contrived,  that  it  would  not 
occur  to  any  one  rambling  through  a  town 
that  any  sign  he  observes  has  met  his  eyes 
before. 

Let  me  now  ask  the  reader  to  accompany 
me  in  imagination  on  a  ramble,  say  along  the 
main  street  of  Ningpo,  in  order  to  see  what 
these  signs  say.  Here  is  a  remarkably  hand- 
some one,  varnished  jet  black  and  inscribed 


Shop  Signs.  63 

with  large  boldly-penned  characters  in  gold. 
It  reads,  being  interpreted,  ''  Limitless  produc- 
tion. Feasts  prepared  a  la  Tartare,  or  a  la  Chi- 
noise,"  a  distinction,  it  may  be  presumed,  pos- 
sessed of  more  importance  to  the  Celestials 
than  to  their  foreign  visitors.  ''  The  delica- 
cies of  the  season  ;  sea  slugs  smothered  in  ver- 
micelli and  trimmed  with  finely-slu*ed  ham. 
Forcemeat  puiFs,  meals  of  boiled  rice,  plain,  or 
w^ith  cooked  meats,  ready  at  all  hom-s."  This 
is  on  one  side  of  the  shop ;  on  the  other  is 
displayed  a  smaller,  but  not  less  pretentious, 
board  suggesting  the  possession  of  "  Delica- 
cies from  beyond  the  seas."  Peeping  into  the 
interior  of  the  shop,  may  be  observed  another 
attractive  but  smaller  sign-board,  tastefully 
fitted  in  crimson  and  gold,  which  points  out  to 
the  sentimental  or  sociable  wayfarer  that  he 
may  be  supplied  with  "  tete-a-tGte  meals  to 
his  fancy  ;"  and  on  another  wall  is  displayed 
the  suggestive  hint,  also  cleverly  framed,  that 
*'  famous  wine  from  over  the  sea"  is  provided 
for  tliirsty  customers.  Eadi  of  these  signs 
has  a  band  of  scarlet  silk   flaunting   loosely 


64  The  Foreigner  in  Fair  Cathay. 

from  the  handle,  a  token  that  the  shop  has 
been  lately  established  or  enlarged,  or  that 
some  accession  of  business  or  capital  has  ac- 
crued to  the  firm,  scarlet  being  the  festive  col- 
or in  China.  Not  infrequently  coarse  white 
cotton  or  hempcloth  may  be  observed  similar- 
ly mounted,  a  sign  that  death  has  invaded  the 
establishment,  white  being  the  color  of  mourn- 
ing. At  New  Year  time  the  sign-boards  are 
likewise  ornamented  with  scarlet  streamers, 
more  especially  amongst  the  Cantonese. 

Having  taken  a  sip  of  their  famous  wine 
and  courteously  eschewed  the  offer  of  a  smoth- 
ered sea- slug,  we  will  pass  farther  up  the 
street.  Here  are  a  series  of  showy  sign-boards, 
backed  by  row  upon  row  of  heavily-tasselled 
glass  lanterns,  all  prettily  painted  with  figures 
of  flowers  and  Chinese  writing.  It  does  not 
nee.d  any  conversance  with  the  language  to 
,  discover  the  business  done  upon  these  premi- 
ses, the  odor  of  drags  and  aromatics  being 
sufficiently  suggestive.  Over  the  centre  door 
are  displayed  two  characters,  meaning  "  Dou- 
ble-headed Phoenix."     This,  as  in  the  case  of 


Shop  Signs.  G5 

the  cliaracters  representing  "  Limitless  produc- 
tion "  at  the  eating-  house  just  aUuded  to,  is  the 
designation  or  style  of  the  shop. 

Taking  its  other  boards  in  their  order,  the 
first  sets  forth  that  "  Decoctions  are  prepared 
with  acciu'acy  from  fragrant  materials,"  leav- 
ing one  to  infer  that  "  John  Chinaman  "  likes 
his  doses  characteristic  as  well  as  safe.  The 
next  boasts  of  "  Boluses,  powders,  ointments, 
and  pills  carefully  mixed."  A  third  announces 
*'  Drugs  from  every  province  in  the  empire." 
Then  two  others,  by  way  of  hint  no  doubt  to 
hard  bargainers,  declare  that  "  Wares  will  be 
found  genuine,  and  prices  true  to  value ;"  and 
that  ''No  two  prices  are  asked  "  for  the  same 
article. 

The  house  next  to  the  di'uggist's  shows 
sign-boards  which  betray  the  residence  of  a 
physician,  who,  judging  by  their  number  and 
high  coloiing,  must  be  a  renowned  and  popu- 
lar leech.  We  will  call  him  Dr.  Dry,  this  be- 
ing the  British  equivalent  of  his  Chinese  sur- 
name. On  the  one  side  of  his  gateway  may 
be  read  ''  Dry  Quartus,  great-grandson  of  Dry 


66  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

Primus,  of  Ningpo,  whose  specialite  is  to  treat 
fractures,  contusions  and  wounds,  to  set  bones 
and  return  dislocations."  His  method  of  per- 
forming the  last- mentioned  operations  is  not 
stated,  but  I  imagine  it  would  be  considered 
somewhat  unprecedented  and  peculiar  by  om- 
better-ti'ained  practitioners,  judging  from  a  re- 
ply I  received  from  one  of  these  gentlemen  to 
my  inquiry  as  to  the  mode  in  which  he  re- 
duced a  fracture  :  "  I  simply  rub  the  part  well," 
he  assm-ed  me,  "  with  a  specific  ointment  of 
my  own  preparing,  and  the  result  is  miracu- 
lous." The  sign-board  upon  the  other  side  of 
the  entrance  door  repeats  the  practitioner's 
name,  and  announces  that  he  treats  internal  as 
well  as  external  complaints,  cm-es  affections  of 
the  throat,  administers  acupunctm-e  and  the 
moxa,  and  so  on — more  than  it  is  convenient 
to  describe.  Over  the  door  are  suspended  two 
complimentary  slabs,  given  to  the  worthy  doc- 
tor, no  doubt,  by  grateful  patients.  On  the 
one  is  inscribed  the  sentence,  "  Bent  arm ; 
three  principles,"  in  allusion  to  his  skill  in 
feeling  the  pulse,  wliich  in  China  is  touched 


Shop  Signs.  67 

with  three  fingers,  the  pulse  in  the  right 
v.'rist  being  regarded  as  intimately  connected 
with  three  of  the  internal  organs  of  the  hu- 
man body,  and  that  in  the  left  with  three  other 
organs.  Ability  to  feel  the  pulse  is  considered 
in  this  country  as  the  true  criterion  of  medical 
proficiency.  The  other  slab  has  on  it  the 
words  ''  Excellent  faculty,  handed  down  by 
family  descent."  Reference  is  here  made  to 
the  fact  of  the  profession  having  been  here- 
ditary in  the  family,  the  practitioner's  father 
and  grandfather  having  both  been  medical 
men  of  renown  at  Ningpo.  In  the  opinion 
of  the  Chinese,  occupation  and  fame  derived 
by  inheritance  aiford  the  most  reliable  evidence 
of  professional  skill  where  physicians  are  con- 
cerned. 

The  Chinese  are  a  quack-ridden  race,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  number  and  size  of  their 
druggists'  shops,  and  the  various  extravagant 
puffs  which  are  exhibited  uj)on  the  walls  every 
day.  Of  this,  however,  more  anon.  A  pre- 
tender has  only  to  display  in  front  of  a  tented 
table  by  the  wayside  "  The  Doctor  So-and-So, 


68  Tlie  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

a  physician  and  sm'g-eon  by  descent  for  several 
generations,"  and  lie  will  rarely  lack  a  patient. 
Prescriptions  are,  as  with  us,  written  and  pre- 
sented to  the  druggist  for  making  up,  and,  as 
used  to  be  the  case  with  our  ancestors  of  old, 
great  faith  is  put  in  the  virtues  of  strange 
herbs,  woods  and  roots  The  Chinese  neverthe- 
less are  fully  alive  to  the  properties  of  many  of 
the  most  valuable  di-ugs  and  medicines  which 
figure  in  our  pharmacopoeias.  Physicians 
frequently  combine  necromancy  and  fortune- 
telling  with  the  practice  of  medicine.  I  may 
here  mention  a  curious  custom  which  prevails 
everywhere  in  China,  as  regards  the  disposal 
of  the  materials  of  which  a  j^rescription  is 
composed  after  having  been  made  use  of 
Infusions  and  decoctions  are  the  favorite  rem- 
edies, and  when  these  have  been  j^rej^ared  the 
refuse  is  carefully  deposited  in  the  centre  of 
the  street  or  highway,  a  superstitious  notion 
being  prevalent  that  if  the  mess  is  sniffed  at 
by  the  horse  on  which  the  spirit  of  the  T'ien-i 
Star  rides,  the  result  will  be  certain  to  be 
favorable  for  the  patient.     The  T'ien-i  Star, 


Sliop  Signs.  69 

or  "  Celestial  cure,"  is  supposed  to  have  a 
beneficial  influence  upon  invalids,  and  the 
spirit  which  inhabits  it  is  believed  to  patrol 
the  streets  nig-htly  in  order  to  keep  watch 
over  the  welfare  of  the  inhabitants. 

But  to  proceed  with  the  sign-boards.  There, 
next  to  the  physician,  is  what  we  should  call 
an  optician,  who  gives  out  that  he  manufac 
tures  '^  crystal  eye-glasses  for  young  and  old." 
Then  comes  a  tobacconist,  who  '^  imports  for 
the  special  use  of  his  establishment  tobacco 
from  Fuhkien,  Chefoo,  and  Hangchow."  Con- 
veniently posted  on  the  opjDOsite  side  of  the 
street  is  a  pipe-maker,  who  gives  out  that  he 
has  "  pipes  manufactured  on  piurpose  for  his 
fiiTii  out  of  Yunnan  white  coioper."  Here 
again  is  a  tallow-chandler,  who  ''  constnicts 
dips  fit  for  presentation  as  tribute  to  royalty." 
Next  comes  a  musical  instrument  maker,  who 
offers  for  competition  organs,  flutes,  banjos, 
guitars,  fiddles,  and  all  kinds  of  musical  in- 
struments. Next  a  "  Christy,"  who  ''  makes 
caps  to  suit  every  season  of  the  year."  Then 
a  "Hoby,"  who  "embroiders  boots  in  the  new- 


70  The  Foreigner  in  Far  CatJiay. 

est  fashions."  (The  boots  of  a  Chmese  exqui- 
site, it  must  be  remembered,  are  made  of 
satin.)  After  him  a  dyer,  whose  "  blues  and 
bhicks  rival  celestial  coloring."  Then  another 
chandler,  who,  more  pretentious  than  his 
rival  higher  up  the  street,  declares  that  his 
wares  are  "  double-dipped  and  small  wick'd," 
and  who  even  goes  so  far  as  to  quote  from 
some  poet  a  couplet  which  pictures  the  student 
as  ''  laboring  beside  the  midnight  lamp." 
And  last,  for  the  category  must  be  ended 
somewhere,  is  a  silk  mercer,  whose  sign  is 
worth  quoting  in  full:  ''We  possess  our  o^vn 
country  agencies,  whose  selection  is  made  for 
the  market  of  the  finest  sorts  of  silk,  in  the 
manipulation  of  which  neither  time  nor  labor 
is  spared.  We  manufacture  every  suit  of  rich 
and  pure  silk,  thread  and  floss-silk,  silk  for 
bow  strings,  tassels,  and  cords  ;  we  give  our- 
selves especially  to  the  weaving  and  plaiting 
of  parti-colored  girdles  and  fittings  of  Court 
caps  in  the  newest  Peking  style.  We  also 
make  fringes  for  caps,  handkerchiefs  of  all 
kinds,  damask  or  crape,  head-bands  and  collars 


Shop  Signs.  71 

of  satin  or  gauze."  Shops  of  this  last  class, 
i.e.,  drapers,  haberdashers,  etc.,  usually  have 
the  designation  printed  upon  the  paper  in 
which  customers'  purchases  are  wrapped,  with 
conditions  of  sale  attached ;  such  as,  ^'  Cus- 
toms' Banier  and  transit  duties  payable  by 
purchaser,"  "  No  goods  exchanged  or  received 
back  that  have  been  folded,  rumpled,  or  cut." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ADVERTISING    IX    CHINA. 

The  large  number  of  advertisements  which 
everywhere  cover  convenient  walls  would  also 
be  likely  to  attract  the  eye  of  the  foreign 
visitor  to  a  Chinese  town.  Advertising,  al- 
though very  generally  had  recourse  to  in 
China,  appears  to  be  confined  to  particular 
classes  of  business,  such  as  those  of  di'uggists, 
eating-houses,  lodging-houses,  doctors,  theatri- 
cal corps,  lecturers,  fortune-tellers.  In  fact,  it 
is  not  considered  quite  the  thing  to  advertise, 
on  the  princii^le,  it  is  presumed,  that  "  good 
wine  needs  no  bush."  An  exception  seems  to 
be  made  in  favor  of  jewellers,  silk  and  satin 
mercers,  dyers,  biscuit  bakers,  piece-goods 
vendors,  and  one  or  two  others,  who  are  per- 
mitted by  the  rules  of  conventionality  to  ad- 
Acrtise  their  establishments  upon  the  occasion 


Advertising  in  China.  73 

of  opening  shop  for  the  first  time,  or  after  en- 
largement or  repair.  Advertisements  are  both 
piinted  and  wntten,  and  scarlet  paper  is  the 
material  usually  employed.  A  brief  summary 
of  the  contents  of  some  of  the  most  common 
may  perhaps  interest  the  reader,  if  he  will 
again  bear  me  company  in  imagination  into  a 
Chinese  street.  Here  is  one  issued  by  a  con- 
cern styling  itself  "  a  benefit  to  society,"  and 
which  undertakes  to  prescribe  gratis  for  those 
who  are  poor  and  feeble.  A  literal  translation 
of '  its  458  characters  would  be  scarcely  expe- 
dient, although,  in  the  matter  of  delicacy,  the 
advertisement  might  compare  favorably  with 
many  of  a  like  kind  found  in  newspapers  in 
our  own  language.  Sufiice  it  to  say  that  it 
conveys  various  pledges  to  attack  with  success, 
in  an  inconceivably  brief  space  of  time,  all 
kinds  of  diseases,  disgusting  and  otherwise, 
provided  only  the  afilicted  will  swallow  the 
drugs,  pills,  etc.,  dispensed  by  the  concern. 
Here  is  another  advertisement  put  forth  by 
a  druggist,  who  invites  the  j^ublic  to  swallow 
''pills   manufactured   out   of    a    whole    stag 


74  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catlmy. 

slaug-htered  with  purity  of  purpose  on  a  pro- 
pitious day."  Wealthy  wholesale  di'ugg-ists 
not  infrequently  purchase  large  and  handsome 
stags,  which  they  expose  in  a  pen  at  the 
entrance  of  the  shop  until  a  propitious  day  can 
be  selected  for  the  animal's  conversion  into 
medicine,  when  he  is  deliberately  pounded  en- 
tire into  a  pulp,  out  of  which  pills  are  made. 
These  pills,  it  is  believed;  invigorate  the  sys- 
tem, and  dispel  any  distemper  or  evil  humor 
which  may  be  lurking  in  the  tissues.  Here 
again  is  another  placard  by  a  quack.  He  like- 
wise styles  himself  a  ''  world's  benefactor," 
and  he  professes  to  be  accessible  only  on  the 
even  days  of  the  month,  and  then  only  at 
eight  o'clock  A.  M.  Whether  he  gives  this 
out  in  order  to  enhance  the  idea  of  his  profes- 
sional importance,  or  whether  he  devotes  his 
odd  days  and  afternoons  to  other  engagements, 
does  not  appear. 

Next  comes  the  puff  of  a  gentleman  who 
declares  that  he  alone  is  conversant  Avith  the 
true  art  of  second  sight,  as  practiced  by  means 
of  the  circular  mirror.     This  is  a  class  of  per- 


Advertising  in  China.  75 

sons  to  whom  victims  of  petty  thefts  are  in  tlie 
habit  of  applying  in  order  to  discover  lost 
property.  One  of  these  performers  was  once 
called  in  by  my  servants,  on  the  occasion 
of  a  theft  of  some  articles  of  clothino-  which 
occm^red  on  my  own  premises.  After  various 
incantations  and  bm-nings  of  incense  and  joss- 
paper  in  a  dark  room,  he  selected  one  out  of 
two  or  three  little  boys  who  happened  to  be 
standing  by,  and  placed  him  before  a  looking- 
glass.  The  child  was  then  asked  if  he  observed 
anything ;  on  his  replying  in  the  negative, 
another  child  was  picked  out  and  the  same 
process  gone  through.  The  little  fellow  peered 
into  the  glass,  and  straightway  declared  he 
saw  something ;  and  he  then  proceeded  to  tell 
how  he  could  distinguish  a  man  dressed  in 
a  white  jacket  and  blue  trousers  enter  the 
premises  by  such  and  such  a  door ;  how  he 
could  see  the  thief  j)ass  along  such  and  such 
a  passage,  enter  such  and  such  a  room,  open 
such  and  such  a  box,  take  out  therefrom  so 
and  so,  make  it  up  into  a  bundle,  throw  it 
out  of  a  window,   and  then  creep  away  to 


76  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

another  part  of  the  premises,  and  jump  over 
the  wall  into  the  road.  The  innocent  and  yet 
earnest  manner  of  the  child,  as  he  went 
through  these  details,  gave  his  story  all  the 
weight  of  a  supernatm*al  revelation  to  the 
wondering  and  credulous  bystanders,  and  no 
amount  of  banter  on  my  part  could  succeed  in 
shaking  their  conviction  that  the  process  of 
the  theft  had  been  correctly  described,  and 
that  the  perpetrators  would  be  eventually 
traced  out  thereby.  I  must  do  the  pretender 
the  justice  to  state  that  he  showed  himself 
particularly  anxious  to  persuade  my  own  little 
boy,  of  seven  years  old,  to  act  as  medium,  and 
would  no  doubt  have  employed  him  in  that 
capacity,  but  that  he  stoutly  objected  to  be 
made  a  tool  of.  An  exactly  similar  method  of 
divining  by  means  of  a  child  looking  into  a 
mirror  or  pool  of  water  exists,  it  appears, 
amongst  the  modern  Egyptians ;  and  a  very 
interesting  description  of  the  process  may  be 
found  in  Mr.  E.  W.  Lane's  work  on  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  that  people. 

Our  next  advertisement  is  a  playbill.     It 


Advertising   in   China.  77 

piu'ports  to  be  issued  by  a  concern  styling-  it- 
self "  Tea-garden  of  the  Crimson  Olea  fra- 
grans."  The  name  "  tea-garden  "  is  merely  a 
blind  to  keep  the  advertiser  clear  of  police  ex- 
actions and  interference,  theatres  being  strictly 
prohibited  by  Chinese  law,  and  acto-rs  being 
regarded  as  the  very  scum  of  society.  Evasive 
and  romantic  designations  are  always  given  to 
theatres.  Here  is  a  playbill,  emanating  from 
a  concern  rejoicing  in  the  name  of  ^'  Fragrance 
fills  the  Hall."  Another  is  designated  "  The 
Garden  of  the  Three  Exquisites ;"  and  a  fom'th 
styles  itself  '^  The  Chamber  of  the  Yellow 
Olea."  The  ''  olea,"  only  known  in  England 
as  an  exotic,  is  a  highly-scented  flower,  much 
prized  jby  the  Chinese,  and  which  consequent- 
ly enters  largely  into  their  conceptions  of  the 
delicate  and  beautiful.  Om*  particular  play- 
bill first  suggests,  in  a  persuasive  tone,  that 
rainy  or  windy  weather  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  interfere  with  a  punctual  attendance. 
It  then  describes  the  plot  of  the  piece  that  is 
to  be  represented,  some  episode  in  the  life  of  a 
martial  hero  of  the  olden  time.     Such  scraps 


78  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

of  the  ancient  history  of  the  country,  ren- 
dered piquant  by  the  insertion  of  comical  and 
often  indehcate  passages  in  the  story  of  the 
heroes  and  heroines,  form  favorite  subjects  for 
the  di'ama  in  China ;  and  it  is  amusing  to  ob- 
serve the  breathless  interest  depicted  on  the 
countenances  of  the  crowded  audience  as  they 
watch  the  repr.esentation  through  its  tedious 
progress  towards  denouement. 

The  establishment  thus  advertised  is  one  of 
several  which  Chinese  speculators  have  opened 
in  the  foreign  settlement  of  Shanghae  with 
the  assistance  of  foreign  capital  and  under 
cover  of  foreign  surroundings;  but  as  a  rule 
there  are  no  buildings  specially  devoted  to 
theatrical  representations  as  with  us.  Com- 
panies of  actors  when  formed  travel  about  the 
country  and  engage  themselves  to  committees 
of  temples  or  guilds,  or  to  wealthy  individu- 
als who  may  be  festively  inclined,  for  a  week 
or  a  month  at  a  time  ;  and  the  representation 
usually  takes  place  in  a  raised,  open  pavilion 
with  which  every  temple  or  club-house  court 


Advertising  in  China.  70 

is  pro\aded,  and  admission  is  given  to  the  pub- 
lic gratis ;  no  regular  hours  are  kept,  and  the 
play  is  carried  on  with  short  intermissions  for 
food  and  rest  throughout  the  day  and  often 
nights,  accompanied  always  by  the  incessant 
clanging  of  gongs  and  music  of  the  most  dis- 
tracting character.  Women  are  never  seen  on 
the  stage,  the  female  parts  being  taken  by  men 
who  are  educated  to  it  from  their  childhood, 
and  who  imitate  the  feminine  gait  and  voice 
to  perfection. 

One  more  advertisement  is  worthy  of  notice 
before  we  leave  the  subject.  It  is  that  of  a 
lecturer  who  undertakes  to  give  readings  out 
of  the  history  of  the  Three  Kingdoms,  a  chro- 
nicle of  a  favorite  era  in  the  Chinese  history, 
which  teems  with  martial  and  romantic  inci- 
dent. He  likewise  begs  that  '^  gentlemen  will 
condescend  to  come  early,  and  not  be  deterred 
by  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather."  Readings 
of  this  kind  are  generally  given  in  tea-shops. 
They  serve  to  collect  custom  for  the  establish- 
ment, whose  host,  no  doubt,   makes  it  worth 


80  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

the  while  of  the  lectm-er  to  render  his  shop 
attractive,  independently  of  any  stray  cash 
that  may  fall  to  the  entertainer's  share  when 
the  hat  is  sent  round. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

MANDARIN   YAilENS    IN    CHINA. 

Peoceeding  along  a  Chinese  street  a  stran- 
ger would  not  fail  to  notice  its  intersection  now 
and  again  by  a  large  palisaded  enclosure,  with 
a  huge  ornamental  gateway  of  three  doors  on 
the  one  side,  and  a  high  blank  Avail  facing  the 
gate  on  the  other,  the  latter  rudely  daubed 
with  the  picture  of  a  rampant  di'agon  in  red 
and  white  paint.  This  is  the  entrance  com't  of 
a  Yamen^  or  the  residence,  as  well  as  public 
office  of  a  mandarin ;  on  either  side,  where 
the  street  enters  and  leaves  the  enclosure,  is 
a  roughly-constructed  bamer-gate,  one  sur- 
mounted by  the  characters  "East  office  gate," 
the  other  by  "  West  office  gate."  In  the  case 
of  a  high-class  yamen,  such  as  that  of  a 
viceroy,  the  thoroughfare  is  turned  so  as  to 
go  round  to  the  back  of  the  front  wall,  and  a 


82  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

notice  is  stuck  up  to  the  effect  that  all  officials 
under  a  certain  rank  are  to  dismount  from 
their  horses  or  leave  their  sedan-chairs  at  the 
barrier  gate.  The  main  gate  with  the  three 
doors  is  always  placed  so  as  to  face  towards 
the  south,  and  where  the  street  happens  to 
run  north  and  south,  a  cross  street  is  opened, 
into  which  the  yamen  is  made  to  face  with 
east  and  west  entrances  on  the  two  sides. 
Certain  superstitious  grounds,  connected  with 
the  supposed  position  of  the  sun,  give  occasion 
to  this  arrangement,  and  even  the  Emperor 
himself,  when  sitting  in  state,  has  his  face 
turned  towards  the  south.  The  several  barriers 
and  other  gateways  of  a  yamen  are  usually 
surmounted  with  inscriptions  which  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  functions  and  grade  of  the 
official,  but  are  always  couched  in  grandilo- 
quent language.  Those  for  instance  placed 
over  the  gates  of  the  Taotae's  yamen  at 
Shanghae  are  (translated  into  English)  ''  Pro- 
tector and  administrator  of  twenty  cities,"  and 
"  Cleanser  and  purifier  of  three  rivers,"  and 
these  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  sample  of  all 


Mandarin  Yamens  in  China.  8ij 

others  throughout  tlie  country,  the  cherishing, 
protecting,  improving,  purifying,  and  benefi- 
cent characteristics  ascribed  to  the  incumbent 
within,  being  only  too  frequently  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  reality,  as  far  as  the  people 
governed  are  concerned.  The  interiors  of  the 
yamens  consist  of  suites  of  rooms,  arranged 
after  a  stereotyj^ed  notion  for  the  public  and 
private  needs  of  the  retainers,  who  are  always 
very  numerous.  Some  few  yamens,  more  espe- 
cially those  belonging  to  high-class  officials, 
are  richly-decorated,  well-constructed  build- 
ings, but,  as  a  rule,  they  do  not  bear  looking 
into  ;  and  they  are  generally  maintained  in  a 
wretched  condition  of  unrepair,  as  no  man- 
darin is  understood  to  hold  the  same  office 
for  a  longer  term  than  three  years,  and  he 
has  of  course  no  interest  in  expending  money 
upon  his  temporary  domicile  or  offices  during 
that  period. 

Observe  now  the  procession  emerging  from 
the  yamen.  At  the  head  of  the  ragamuffin 
crew  appear  two  or  four  lictors  dressed  in  tall 
black  felt  hats,  and  armed  with   whips  with 


84  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

which  they  are  supposed  to  flog  the  people 
into  reverential  submission,  whilst  the  great 
man  passes  by.  The  tall  hats  and  whips  of 
these  rascals  (for  rascals  they  invariably  are, 
having  to  live  by  their  wits,  poor  creatm^es) 
may  be  seen  hanging  up  at  the  gates  of  most 
yamenSj  ominous  of  what  those  who  are  unfor- 
tunate enough  to  get  dragged  into  the  inner 
precincts  may  expect.  After  the  lictors  come 
a  group  of  boys  bearing  red  boards  inscribed 
with  gilt  characters.  Some  of  these  give  the 
several  ranks  and  titles  of  the  mandarin ; 
others  convey  commands  to  be  silent,  to  stand 
back,  etc.  Then  comes  the  umbrella  inscribed 
with  the  ten  thousand  names,  a  proof  of  pop- 
ularity, which  every  mandarin  covets,  and 
after  that  the  sedan-chair,  borne  by  four  or 
more  bearers,  according  to  the  rank  of  the 
official  within.  Military  mandarins  ride  on 
horses  or  mules,  it  being  considered  eff'eminate 
and  unsoldierlike  to  sit  at  ease  in  a  sedan-chair. 
After  the  dignitary  himself,  follow  the  secre- 
taries, card-bearer,  j)ersonal  servants,  etc.,  all 
carried  likewise  in  sedans,  but  of  the  most 


Mandarin  Yamens  in  China.  85 

sorry  description  and  having  only  two  bear- 
ers each.  The  sedans  used  by  the  mandarins 
are  always  covered  with  broadcloth,  the  color 
of  which  is  defined  according  to  the  rank,  and 
they  are  handsomely  Hned  and  fitted  within, 
sometimes  with  expensive  fm's.  In  Peking 
and  the  northernmost  Pro\dnces,  two- wheeled 
carts  without  spnngs  are  used  mstead  of  se- 
dans. 

The  general  imj^ression  out  of  China  is  that 
a  mandarin  spends  his  days  in  idleness  and 
luxury,  whilst  he  battens  upon  the  booty 
wrung  by  himself  and  followers  from  the  un- 
happy people  over  whom  he  is  placed ;  but 
this  is  not  altogether  a  correct  view.  Although 
little  can  be  said  for  the  general  results  of 
mandarin  administration  in  the  way  of  promot- 
ing the  best  interests  of  the  population,  and 
although  the  wretched  pittances  allowed  by 
the  government  as  salaries  lead  to  a  vast 
amount  of  peculation  and  rapacity,  yet  the 
Chinese  officials  as  a  cktjss  lead  a  laborious  life, 
and  instances  are  not  wanting  of  individuals 
winning  the  esteem  and  even  devotion  of  the 


86  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

people.  Owing-  to  the  peculiar  system  of  ad- 
ministration, duties,  which,  according  to  our 
Western  ideas,  are  best  distributed  amongst  a 
number  of  officials  and  departments,  are  in 
China  concentred  in  one  individual,  and  what 
wdth  judicial  business,  both  civil  and  criminal, 
finance,  police,  transport,  commissariat,  and  a 
number  of  other  heterogeneous  duties,  a  man- 
darin of  any  standing  always  has  his  hands 
perfectly  full.  Office  hours  commence  mth 
the  dawn  and  often  only  close  with  the  cessa- 
tion of  demands  upon  the  attention  which 
evening  of  necessity  brings.  Nor  may  an 
official  hope  for  any  relief  in  the  diversion 
which  society  affords.  A  mandarin  is  not  ex- 
pected to  have  any  friendships  or  intimacies 
outside  of  his  yamen,  and  he  cannot  encom-age 
visitors  or  loiterers  within  its  precincts  without 
laying  himself  open  to  a  charge  of  favoritism 
or  corruption.  He  may  not  even  go  out  of  his 
yamen  openly  for  exercise  or  recreation.  As  a 
rule  his  secretaries  are  all  powerful,  and  in 
cases  where  any  venality  is  practiced  it  is  al- 
ways accomplished  by  or  through  these  men. 


Mandarin  Yamens  in  China.  87 

A  yamen  is  in  fact  practically  closed  to  the 
23ublic,  save  through  the  good  offices  of  a  sec- 
retary or  some  other  of  the  numerous  under- 
lings who  continually  haunt  its  gates  and 
com'ts.  Consequently  a  mandarin  with  the 
best  intentions  may,  even  without  his  privity, 
become  a  cm-se  to  his  neighborhood. 

I  can  myself  vouch  for  an  instance  in  which 
an  opium  merchant,  who  had  decamped  after 
a  large  transaction  in  opium,  for  which  he 
paid  in  spmious  paper,  actually  took  refuge 
in  the  Taotae's  yamen,  and  successfully  con- 
cealed himself  there  for  weeks,  although  the 
Taotae  and  Consul  together  employed  every 
api^liance  in  their  power  for  his  captm-e,  and 
larofe  rewards  were  offered  for  his  detection. 
He  no  doubt  concluded  his  safest  place  was 
under  the  very  roof  of  the  com-t  whose  war- 
rants had  been  issued  for  his  apprehension ; 
and  as  far  as  the  mandarin  was  concerned  I 
had  no  reason  to  imagine  but  that  he  acted 
bona  fide  all  the  while. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  instances  are  not 
unfrequent  in  which  the  pmity  and  patriotism 


88  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

of  a  mandarin  receive  appreciation  at  the 
hands  of  the  people,  A  common  method  of 
expressing  it  is  by  the  presentation  of  the 
umbrella  alluded  to  in  connection  with  the 
mandarin  cavalcade.  Foreigners  call  this 
article  an  '^  umbrella,"  but  it  partakes  more 
of  the  nature  of  a  circular  canopy,  being 
carried  on  a  staif  in  front  of  the  mandarin 
when  he  goes  abroad,  and  held  aloft  over  his 
head  whenever  he  alights  from  his  sedan. 
It  is  made  of  scarlet  silk,  and  on  the  deep 
borders  which  encircle  it  are  embroidered  in 
yellow  or  black  silk  the  names  of  the  donors. 
At  other  times  tablets  bearing  com^^limen- 
tary  inscriptions  are  given  as  testimonials,  and 
these  are  much  prized  by  the  recipients,  and 
used  to  decorate  their  best  receiving  rooms, 
another  and  more  comical  method  of  exhibit- 
ing the  public  estimation  of  official  probity 
'and  worth  is  for  a  deputation  of  the  inhabit- 
ants to  wait  upon  a  mandarin  at  one  of  the 
gates  of  the  city  at  the  moment  of  his  making 
his  farewell  exit,  and  to  beg  the  gift  of  his 
boots,    which   are   thenceforward   reverently 


Mandarin  Yamens  in  China.  89 

cherished  in  some  temjjle  as  piibHc  pro^Jerty, 
Chinese  populations  are  equally  ready  at  ex- 
pressing their  disapprobation  of  the  conduct 
of  their  public  men  when  it  happens  to  ob- 
trude itself  prominently  upon  their  notice,  or 
when  they  become  the  victims  to  its  conse- 
quences. Lampoons  are  a  favorite  channel 
for  denunciation ;  and  not  unfrequently  the 
poj)ular  indignation  is  evinced  by  a  positive 
onslaught  upon  the  mifortunate  functionary, 
either  in  his  yamen  or  when  he  ventures 
into  the  streets.  On  such  occasions  he  is 
certain  to  be  reprimanded  by  his  superiors 
for  inabihty  to  conciHate  and  restrain  his 
people,  or  to  be  transferred  to  another  sphere 
of  duty. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OPIUM      SMOKING 

Neaelt  every  stranger  wlio  visits  a  Chinese 
city  considers  his  round  of  sight-seeing  incom- 
plete until  he  has  witnessed  the  process  of 
oj)iuni  smoking.  The  dens  in  which  the  drug 
is  doled  out  to  its  "victims,  although  numerous 
enough  in  every  city,  are  not  easily  distin- 
guishable, its  vendors  not  having  yet  got  over 
the  fear  of  penal  consequences,  which,  until 
the  import  and  sale  of  opium  were  legahzed, 
always  attended  any  connection  with  the  traf- 
fic. The  vice,  therefore,  has  not  the  concom- 
itants of  glitter  and  gewgaw  to  assist  in  attract- 
ing its  victims,  which  are  found  associated 
with  the  similar  bane  of  dnnking  in  our  own 
country.  The  reader  will,  perhaps,  be  inter- 
ested in  visiting  in  imagination  one  of  these 
establishments,  and  observing  for  himself  what 


Opium  Smoking.  91 

is  to  be  seen  therein.  Although  situated  in 
a  main  thoroughfare  with  pretentious  shops 
and  buildings  on  either  hand,  the  opium  den 
is  usually  remarkable  for  the  mean,  filthy 
front  which  it  j^i'esents  to  the  street,  and  the 
only  sign  or  mark  which  betokens  its  existence 
to  the  uninitiated  is  a  diminutive  dirty  pa^^er 
lantern  over  the  doorway,  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  As  you  like  it,"  or  sometimes  the  an- 
nouncement ''  Foreign  earth  "  is  ventm'ed  upon 
in  small  characters  upon  a  card  stuck  in  a  win- 
dow. A  step  fm'ther  over  the  threshold  reveals 
a  dilapidated  j)aper  screen  or  two,  placed 
athwart  the  room  so  as  to  cut  off  the  interior, 
as  far  as  possible,  from  outer  observation.  On 
the  other  side  of  these  screens,  in  a  mui-ky, 
dark  atmosphere,  lie  the  smokers  stretched 
upon  a  dozen  wretched  platforms,  in  all  stages 
of  indulgence,  whilst  two  or  three  foul,  ragged 
attendants  stoop  in  corners  over  pans  of  the 
seething  mi:^tm'e  preparing  it  for  consumption. 
When  ready  for  use  it  has  the  appearance  of 
treacle,  and  is  of  the  consistency  of  melting 
india-rubber.     In  this  condition  it  is  presented 


92  The  Foreigner  in  Far  CatJiay. 

to  the  smoker,  who  with  the  end  of  a  silver 
skewer  twists  up  a  small  quantity  about  the 
size  of  a  ^^ea,  which  he  places  in  the  minute 
aperture  on  the  top  of  his  pipe  bowl,  and  then, 
holding  it  to  the  flame  of  the  lamp,  he  sucks 
up  the  fumes. 

Travellers  are  too  apt,  when  treating  of 
opium  smoking  amongst  the  Chinese,  to  con- 
vey the  impression  that  it  is  employed  in  the 
same  way  as  tobacco.  Nothing  can  be  more 
different  than  the  two  processes  of  smoking. 
In  the  case  of  the  drug,  the  fumes  are  inhaled 
into  the  lungs,  and  such  portion  of  them  as  is 
rejected  passes  out  of  the  nostrils.  After  long 
habit  some  smokers  manage  to  inhale  the 
greater  part  of  the  fumes.  The  pipe  used, 
moreover,  is  but  of  one  kind,  and  it  could  not 
be  employed  in  smoking  tobacco,  the  apertm-e 
at  the  top  of  the  bowl  being  only  large  enough 
to  admit  a  good- sized  pin. 

The  effect  upon  the  individual,  when  in- 
dulged in  habitually  and  to  excess,  is  certainly 
debasing,  and  there  is,  perhaps,  no  vicious 
habit  from  which  complete  recovery  is  more 


Opium  SmoVing.  93 


difficult.  At  the  same  time  I  would  caution 
the  reader  against  an  unqualified  acceptance 
of  the  tales  of  horror  one  hears  and  reads  of 
in  connection  with  opium  smoking  in  China. 
How  that,  for  instance,  every  fifth,  or  tenth, 
or  twentieth,  or  even  fortieth  man  in  the  em- 
pire is  a  victim  to  the  habit ;  how  that  the 
opium  hells  are  as  abundant  as  the  provision 
shops,  and  crowded  day  and  night  with  hun- 
dreds of  infatuated  wretches  hun-ying  to  their 
ruin;  how  that  skeletons  haunt  the  streets, 
and  whole  families,  beggared  by  di'ugged  hus- 
bands and  fathers,  may  be  seen  dying  in  the 
highways  and  fields ;  and  so  on.  There  are 
opium  dens  no  doubt,  and  quite  numerous 
enough  to  sadden  the  philantlu'opic  observer, 
and  the  victims  which  the  dimg  drags  to  misery 
and  death  are  also,  alas !  beyond  all  counting. 
But  what  is  tlie  \dce,  or  where  the  country,  of 
which  the  same  may  not  be  said  with  equal  or 
approximate  truth.  Indeed,  were  I  asked  to 
state  candidly  in  which  part  of  the  world  I 
thought  the  effects  of  vicious  indulgence  are 
more  outwardly  observable,  socially  speaking. 


94  Tlie  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

I  certainly  should  not  name  China.  Statistics 
on  the  subject  cannot  be  relied  on.  It  is 
known  to  a  chest  how  much  Indian-grown 
di'ug  is  imj^orted  into  the  country,  but  there  is 
no  means  of  estimating  the  quantity  of  native 
opium  produced,  and  I  do  not  believe  that 
there  is  any  person  sufficiently  informed  on 
the  subject  to  be  able  to  state,  with  any  ap- 
proach to  accuracy,  what  proportion  the 
smokers  of  the  di-ug  bear  to  the  general  popu- 
lation. The  most  that  can  be  asserted  with 
truth,  is  that  the  vice  is  a  general  one,  more 
especially  prevalent  in  districts  near  the  sea- 
coast  and  great  commercial  centres,  that  a  con- 
side^'able  proportion  of  its  victims  indulge  to 
an  excess  ruinous  to  health  and  prospects,-  and 
that  it  has  been  gaining  ground  upon  the  peo- 
ple with  rapid  strides  during  the  past  few 
years.  It  is,  at  any  rate,  a  matter  of  congra- 
tulation that  a  Chinaman  confines  his  indul- 
gence to  opium  smoking,  and  that  drink  does 
not  add  to  the  vicious  chains  by  which  he  is 
enslaved.  A  ray  of  hope,  too,  for  the  Chinese 
may  be  found  in  the  fact,  which  I  have  before 


Opium  Smoking.  95 

stated,  that  the  indigenous  cultivation  of  the 
drug-  is  gaining  ground,  for  the  material  being 
much  inferior  to  that  imported  from  India,  it 
is  just  possible  that  the  depreciation  may  have 
the  effect  in  the  end  of  decreasing  the  taste 
for  the  article,  or  that  the  more  general  use  of 
it  that  must  ensue  may  rouse  the  public  to  o 
more  earnest  sense  of  the  ruinous  results  at- 
tending its  indulgence,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
to  a  determined  e^ort  of  resistance  to  its  se- 
ductive influences. 


CHAPTER    X. 

INFANTICIDE. 

The  Chinese  have  the  credit  amongst  most 
Enghshmen  of  being  a  nation  of  infanticides, 
and  the  impression  is  to  be  attributed  to  the 
stories  which  cm'sory  visitors,  and  even  ob- 
serving travellers,  are  apt  to  bring  home. 
These  will  tell,  it  may  be,  of  "  baby  towers," 
standing  in  the  vicinity  of  most  towns,  and 
of  suspicious  little  bundles  noticed  in  pools 
and  canals  ;  of  carts,  which  are  said  to  go 
round  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  castaway 
childi'en  ;  of  miniature  coffins  strewed  about 
the  fields,  etc.  Such  things  have  no  doubt 
intruded  themselves  upon  the  notice,  but  the 
observers  have  not  taken  the  trouble,  or, 
perhaps,  from  ignorance  of  the  language, 
have  not  always  found  themselves  able  to 
inquire,  how  or  why  these  remains   came   to 


Infanticide.  97 


be  so  disposed  of.  Had  tliey  done  so,  they 
would  have  learnt  that  the  relics  seen  were  by 
no  means  in  every  instance,  or  even  nearly 
so,  those  of  castaway  or  miu'dered  infants,  the 
Chinese  being  one  of  those  people  who  do  not 
consider  it  essential  to  give  formal  sepulture 
to  a  child  under  a  certain  age.  The  truth  in 
this,  as  in  most  other  cases,  may  be  discovered 
to  lie  between  the  two  extremes.  There  are 
towns  and  districts  where  infanticide  is  prac- 
ticed, in  some  to  an  infamous  extent,  in  others 
to  a  less  degree  ;  there  are  others  again  where 
it  is  not  known  at  all  as  a  habit,  and  in  the 
majority  of  cities  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
it  is  a  crime  no  more  indulged  in  than  is  the 
case  in  some  European  towns,  and  then  only 
with  the  object  of  concealing  another  act 
of  frailty.  If  there  is  any  distinction  to  be 
made,  it  is  in  favor  of  the  noiihera  and 
midland,  as  against  the  southern  and  coast 
provinces. 

But  as  a  rule  one  has  only  to  enter  a 
Chinese  city  or  hamlet  to  be  convinced  that 
the  stories  about  infanticide  nmst,  to  say  the 


98  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

least,  have  been  exaggerated,  for  the  swarms 
of  childi'en  of  both  sexes  which  lounge  about 
the  doors  and  infest  the  gutters  is  something 
remarkable.  The  Chinese,  moreover,  exhibit  a 
marked  attachment  for  their  offspring.  At 
every  few  steps  in  a  Chinese  street  may  be 
encountered  adelighted  father,  or  a  decrepit 
grandame,  proudly  fondling  a  chubby  child, 
dressed  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and 
loaded  with  as  many  amulets,  charms,  and 
ornaments  as  it  can  well  carry.  It  is  a  com- 
mon practice  to  adorn  infant  caps  and  hoods 
with  texts,  in  gold  and  silver-gilt  letters, 
expressive  of  good  wishes  for  the  wearer's 
health  and  welfare.  A  very  favorite  motto 
of  this  kind  is  "  Long  life,  wealth,  and 
honor ;''  another  also  much  used  is,  "A  safe 
passage  through  all  critical  periods  and  ob- 
noxious influences."  Very  often  a  row  of 
little  gilt  idols  decorates  the  frontlet ;  to  repre- 
sent the  eight  genii,  a  Taouist  fancy,  or  the 
eighteen  saints,  a  Buddhist  superstition ;  the 
idea  in  either  case  being  to  record  the  wish 
that  the  chiklish  wearer  may,  like  the  legeii- 


Infanticide.  99 


daiy  individuals  represented,  pass  safely 
through  all  the  ills  of  its  mortal  life  to  a  simi- 
lar fr-uition  of  after-glory  and  beatitude. 

Boys  are  very  naturally  more  highly  prized 
than  girls,  but  I  have  never  observed  the  one 
more  lovingly  cherished  than  the  other  where 
there  are  a  number  of  both  in  one  family. 
Boys,  however,  enjoy  the  advantage  of  edu- 
cation, which  the  Chinese  do  not  seem  to 
consider  essential  for  girls.  Women  are  con- 
sequently seldom  found  able  to  read.  Instances 
do  occur  in  which  daughters  of  wealthy  fami- 
lies are  educated  simultaneously  with  the  sons, 
but  these  are  unhappily  exceptional,  dress  and 
self- adornment,  and  sometimes  music,  being 
regarded  as  the  proper  amusements  of  the  Chi- 
nese lady. 

The  practice  of  selling  children  is  neverthe- 
less tolerated,  and  it  has  become  very  preva- 
lent of  late  years,  owing  no  doubt  to  the  vast 
amount  of  poverty  and  wretchedness  which 
everywhere  prevails.  Scarcely  a  year  passes 
but  some  part  of  the  country  is  devastated  by 
a  flood   or  drought,  and,  the  population  being 


100         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathrj. 


principal Iv  agricultural,  the  amount  of  misery 
occasioned  is  ahvays  immense.  The  Supreme 
Government  and  local  executives  at  sucli  con- 
junctures profess  great  concern  for  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  people,  and  measures  are  set  on 
foot  at  times  on  an  extensive  scale  to  organize 
schemes  for  relief,  but  inefficiency  and  cor- 
ruption nearly  always  interfere  to  defeat  the 
most  beneficent  intentions,  and  lit; tie  or  noth- 
ing is  eventually  effected  beyond  the  bestowal 
by  Imperial  favor  of  a  new  tablet  upon  a 
River  God,  or  the  offering  of  a  special  sacri- 
fice to  propitiate  some  deity  su})posed  to  be 
offended. 

The  extensive  rebellions  which  are  peii3etu- 
ally  occuning  are  another  fertile  source  of  im- 
poverishment to  the  country.  The  Taeping 
insurrection,  was,  perhaps,  the  most  fearful 
scourge  of  this  kind  which  ever  fell  upon  the 
unhapi^y  people  of  China,  and  although  years 
have  passed  since  it  was  quelled,  the  snd  effects 
of  it  are  still  everywhere  ^nsible  in  Provinces 
which  were  once  the  richest  and  most  thickly 
populated  in  China.     I   have  often  traversed 


Infanticide.  101 


tlie  250  miles  of  country  \jviig  between  Hang- 
chow  and  Nanking",  and  of  which  the  Grand 
Canal  and  its  numerous  affluents  are  the  prin- 
cipal arteries,  and  I  can  conceive  of  no  more 
melancholy  sight  than  the  acres  of  ground 
that  one  passes  thi'ough  strewn  with  remains 
of  once  thriving  cities,  and  the  miles  upon 
miles  of  rich  land,  once  carefully  parcelled  off 
indeed  into  fields  and  gardens,  but  now  only 
growing  long  coarse  grass  and  brambles,  the 
home  of  the  pheasant,  the  deer,  and  the  wild 
pig.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  then  that 
childi'en  should  be  a  burden  upon  millions  of 
poverty-stricken  parents,  and  that  even  infan- 
ticide should  present  a  welcome  relief  from  in- 
evitable wretchedness. 

Although  it  must  be  admitted  that  childi-en 
are  thus  bought  and  sold  in  China,  the  slavery 
which  ensues  is  attended  with  but  an  infinite- 
simal share  of  the  evils  which  mark  the  insti- 
tution in  other  countries.  Boys  are  purchased 
for  adoption  into  families  as  sons  or  sons-in- 
law,  and  not  unfrequently  to  be  brought  up 
as  play-actors.     Gnls  are  sought  for  as  domes- 


102         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

tic  servants  in  fomilies,  as  well  as-  for  pm-poses 
of  prostitution.  In  neither  case  is  the  slavery 
perpetual,  and  it  is  only  where  the  girls  are 
consigned  to  the  public  markets  that  their  fate 
is  to  be  deplored.  Even  then,  if  they  possess 
any  attractions,  or  are  fortunate  enough  to  be 
accomplished,  (for  a  classical  and  musical  edu- 
cation is  frequently  accorded  to  members  of 
this  unhappy  class,)  they  often  have  the  good 
fortune  to  be  selected  by  wealthy  men  as 
wives,  and  so  end  their  days  in  respectability 
and  comfort.  Girls  who  are  bougrht  into  fami- 
lies  as  domestics  constantly  marry  into  the 
family,  or  an  equally  suitable  settlement  is 
eventually  found  for  them  by  their  proprietors 
elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  XL 

EATING   AND    DRINKING    IN    CHINA. 

Another  fallacy  which  prevails  in  regard 
to  the  Chinese,  is  that  their  food  consists  of 
dogs,  cats,  rats,  and  other  garbage,  and  I  have 
sometimes  even  been  asked  by  persons,  other- 
wise well  informed,  whether  foreign  residents 
in  China  are  not  unfortmiate  enough  to  find 
themselves  restricted  to  the  same  diet.  This 
impression  has,  no  doubt,  got  abroad  from  the 
fact  that  early  travellers  have  observed  pup- 
pies and  kittens  exposed  for  sale  in  the  mar- 
kets of  Canton  amongst  articles  for  table  con- 
sumption, and  have  been  led  to  infer,  too 
hastily,  perhaps,  that  these  animals  are  vended 
for  food,  whereas  they  are  thus  sold  for  domes- 
tic uses  almost  exclusively.  I  will  not  assert 
that  dogs  and  cats  are  never  eaten  ;  for  there 
are  poor,  more  particularly  in  the  south,  who 


lOi         The  Foreigner  in  Far  CathaJj. 

do  not  object  to  dine  off  a  plump  rodent  when 
they  can  procure  nothing  better,  and  there 
are  actually  restam-ants,  in  Canton  especially, 
devoted  to  the  preparation  of  canine  dishes, 
I'or  the  delectation  of  a  particular  class  of 
g-ourmands  to  be  found  in  that  city.  There 
are  always  strong  suspicions,  moreover,  cher- 
ished by  foreign  residents,  who  are  unlucky 
enough  to  lose  their  pet  dogs,  that  these  have 
been  purloined  in  view  of  their  goodly  condi- 
tion, it  being  the  Chinese  idea  that  we  foreign- 
ers feed  our  canine  pets  upon  the  best  of  mut- 
ton ;  and  as  a  proof  that  Chinese  are  to  be 
found  whose  appetites  are  not  of  the  most  fas- 
tidious, I  myself  once  saw  a  mob  of  boat- 
people  fight  for  the  carcases  of  some  horses 
which  our  military  had  caused  to  be  shot  on 
the  river-side  by  reason  of  their  being  affected 
with  glanders. 

Notwithstanding  these  facts,  I  must  never- 
theless maintain  that  the  Chinese  as  a  race 
are  not  foul  feeders.  The  truth  is,  that,  unless 
a  Chinaman  is  at  all  well  to  do,  he  rarely  in- 
dulges in  a  meat  meal  at  all,  the  usual  food 


Eating  and  Drinking  in  China.        105 

for  the  masses  being,  in  the  midland  and  south- 
ern provinces,  phiin  boiled  rice,  with  a  relish 
of  pickled  fish  or  vegetables,  salted  eggs,  a 
cm'd  made  of  lentils,  etc.  When  meat  can  be 
afforded,  pork  is  always  the  favorite  dish,  and 
amongst  the  higher  classes  the  bill  of  fare  is 
varied  by  the  addition  of  mutton,  poultry, 
venison,  or  game.  Sundry  delicacies  are  also 
introduced,  which  are  almost  unknown  to  Eu- 
ropean palates,  such  as  beche-de-mer,  sea-weed, 
shark's-fin,  jelly  fish,  the  edible  bird's-nest, 
ducks'  tongues,  pigeons'  and  plovers'  eggs,  etc. 
Some  of  these  can  be  recommended  as  well 
worthy  of  introduction  to  our  own  tables, 
where  possibly  they  might  be  rendered  even 
more  toothsome  by  the  science  and  experience 
which  Eui'opean  artists  could  bring  to  bear 
upon  their  cooking  qualities.  There  is  a  soup 
common  to  first-class  dinners  in  China,  com- 
posed of  shark's-fin,  bird's-nest,  and  sea  slug, 
with  pigeons'  or  plovers'  eggs  floating  entire 
on  its  surface,  which  I  consider  quite  equal,  if 
not  superior,  to  any  of  our  richest  soups,  ex- 
cepting perhaps  tm'tle.     The  great  objection 


106         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

to  a  Chinese  dinner  is  its  wearisome  length, 
from  the  large  number  of  courses  of  which  it 
is  usually  composed.  The  dishes,  too,  are  apt 
to  be  rich  and  greasy. 

It  has  been  observed  that  di'unkenness  is 
not  a  Chinese  failing ;  on  the  contrary,  I  am 
happy  to  be  able  to  bear  witness  that  John 
Chinaman  is  a  most  temperate  creature.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  course  of  my  many  years'  resi- 
dence in  the  country  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  seen  a  dozen  instances  of  actual  drunken- 
ness. They  do  imbibe  spirituous  liquors  man- 
ufactured out  of  rice  and  other  cereals,  but  it 
is  only  occasionally  at  family  gatherings,  peri- 
odical festivals,  friendly  dinners,  and  such  like 
occasions,  and  then  they  seldom  get  beyond 
flushed  faces,  and  cheerful  clamor.  They  sel- 
dom seem  to  take  to  drink  as  a  habit.  There 
are  exceptions,  of  course,  but  these  are  rare. 
A  public-house  is  an  institution  unknown. 
Weak,  tepid  tea  without  the  admixture  of  milk 
or  sugar  is  the  prevailing  beverage  of  all 
classes,  and  teapots  are  placed  within  reach 
everywhere  to  gratify  this  habit  at  frequent 


Eating  and  Drinking  in  China.       107 

intervals  during  the  day.  This  is  especially- 
observable  amongst  mechanics,  with  whom,  be 
the  circumstances  what  they  may,  the  tea- 
pot may  be  seen  as  a  never-failing  companion. 
Open  tea-houses,  somewhat  on  the  principle 
of  the  continental  restaurant,  abound  in  every 
street  and  public  garden,  and  these  are  fre- 
quented not  only  by  the  thirsty  passers-by, 
but  by  persons  wishing  to  have  a  half  hour's 
friendly  or  business  chat.  In  some  of  these 
public  readers  or  lecturers  may  be  found,  for 
the  attraction  or  amusement  of  customers.  In 
the  summer  months  wealthy  folk  cause  huge 
pans  of  ready-made  tea  to  be  placed  at  the 
corners  of  streets  or  in  crowded  thorough- 
fares, for  the  convenience  of  the  poor ;  very 
much  as  permanent  diinking-fountains  are 
now  erected  in  om-  cities. 


CHAPTER    XIL 

CHINESE    SOCIAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

Although,  as  has  been  stated  in  a  previous 
chapter,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  social  inter- 
course between  the  Chinese  and  foreigners,  it 
cannot  fail  to  strike  even  a  cursory  observer 
that  they  are  a  sociable  people  amongst  them- 
selves, and  that  their  courtesies  are  of  a  most 
labored  and  punctilious  character.  Visiting, 
for  example,  is  a  serious  affair,  and  has  to  be 
conducted  in  accordance  with  a  conventional 
code,  which  prescribes  all  kinds  of  formalities 
varying  with  the  respective  positions  of  the 
visitor  and  visited.  Cards  are  extensively 
used,  but  of  a  color  and  style  far  different 
from  Avhat  we  are  accustomed  to  emj^loy  as 
mediums  in  the  interchange  of  civilities.  The 
shapes  and  sizes,  moreover,  vary  considerably 
with  the  occasion  and  the  individual.      Tho 


Chinese  Social  Institutions.  109 

common  plain  card  used  between  equals  con- 
sists of  a  single  slieet  of  crimson  paper  about 
12  inclies  long  by  4  inches  broad,  with  the 
surname  and  name  stamped  or  ^\T.'itten  in 
black  ink,  the  more  mammoth-like  the  cha- 
racter the  more  imposing  and  respectable. 
This  is  generally  used  amongst  officials  pre- 
tending to  some  rank  or  position.  A  card  of 
about  half  the  size  is  used  by  men  of  inferior 
rank  and  commoners,  or  even  by  the  higher 
officials  where  the  parties  are  on  intimate 
terms.  Then  there  is  the  ''  complete  card,"  as 
it  is  called,  which  is  only  employed  on  grand 
occasions,  such  as  new  year  calls,  \asits  of 
congi'atulation  on  weddings,  births,  birthdays, 
acquirement  of  literary  degrees,  and  the  like, 
also  of  condolence  on  deaths,  etc.  This  card  is 
folded,  and  must  contain  ten  folds,  each  sheet 
of  which  is  as  large  as  that  of  the  first  card 
described.  The  name  of  the  individual  is  in- 
scribed on  the  right  hand  lower  corner  of  the 
first  fold,  prefixed  by  the  words, ''  Your  stupid 
younger  brother,"  and  followed  by  the  compli- 
ment, "bows  his  head  and  pays  his  respects." 


110         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catlmy. 

When  the  person  visited  belongs  to  a  genera- 
tion senior  to  the  visitors,  the  latter  styles  him- 
self, *'Yom'  stupid  nephew,"  if  to  two  genera- 
tions senior,  the  visitor  writes,  ''Your  more  than 
stupid  nephew."  Should  the  individual  visited 
belong  to  a  younger  generation,  the  visitor 
takes  to  himself  the  name  of  ''  uncle  "  instead 
of  "nephew,"  retaining,  however,  the  depreci- 
atory appellative  of  "  stupid."  There  are  still 
fm'ther  varieties  of  self-designation,  according 
to  the  particular  gradations  of  relationship, 
Isut  those  I  have  quoted  will  suffice  to  give  an 
idea  of  the  punctilious  rules  peculiar  to  Chinese 
visiting  ;  I  may  add  that  the  card  last  described 
is,  as  a  matter  of  etiquette,  always  understood 
to  be  returned  to  the  visitor ;  it  being,  ^^re- 
sumably,  expensive  to  leave  such  voluminous 
proofs  of  regard  with  a  number  of  friends. 

I  have  often  been  asked  by  inquisitive  peo- 
ple in  England  to  say  "  How  d'ye  do  f  or 
"  Good  morning,"  in  Chinese,  and  have  been 
all  but  put  down  as  an  impostor  because  I  was 
unable  to  comply  with  the  requisition.  The 
fact  is  the  Chinese  make  use  of  neither  ex- 


Chinese  Social  Institutions.  Ill 

pression  when  they  meet.  A  bow,  with  the 
mute  foldmg  of  the  hands  together;  is  the  usual 
mark  of  recognition  when  friends  encounter 
each  other  on  common  occasions,  and  if  any- 
thiiag  is  said  it  is  "  Tsing,  Tsing,"  meaning,  "  I 
pray  you,  I  pray  you,"  which  has  been  bar- 
barized by  us  into  "  Chinchin."  The  intention 
is  on  either  part  to  entreat  the  other  to  take 
the  precedence,  and  much  time  is  lost,  when 
visiting,  in  a  friendly  antagonism  between  host 
and  guest  as  to  which  should  first  take  a  seat, 
or  lift  a  cup  of  tea,  or  touch  the  proffered  dish. 
Inattention  to  this  formality  is  regarded  as  a 
discourtesy,  and  would  stamp  the  offender  as 
a  boor,  unacquainted  with  the  commonest 
rules  of  polite  society.  Many  and  many  a 
time  have  I  been  rendered  very  uncomfortable, 
when  visiting  Chinese  officials  in  the  company 
of  naval  officers  and  others,  who  chanced  to 
be  ignorant  of  this  peculiarity  in  Chinese  cus- 
toms, by  observing  the  disgust  depicted  on  the 
mandarins'  countenances  at  seeing  then-  visitors 
straightway  take  possession  of  the  seats  offered, 
without  making  the  shghtest  deprecatory  ges- 


112         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

ture,  or  waiting  until  the  host  could  find  his 
own  proper  seat.  Of  coui'se  nothing  was  fur- 
ther from  the  intention  of  my  friends  than  to 
offend  a  prejudice,  but  I  fear  the  effect  was 
none  the  less  to  confirm  the  preconceived  opin- 
ion on  the  part  of  the  Chinaman  that  bar- 
barism was  after  all  essential  to  the  foreign 
nature. 

Apropos  of  visiting  and  cards,  and  as  illus- 
trative of  Chinese  customs,  I  may  here  allude 
to  a  most  singular  circumstance  connected 
with  a  card  which  I  once  received  in  China. 
It  was  from  a  lady,  intimating  her  i-ntention 
to  commit  suicide  at  a  specified  date.  She 
was  very  young  and  attractive,  and  belonged 
to  a  wealthy  family.  Unfortunately,  the 
Chinese  gentleman,  to  whom  she  had  been 
affianced  from  childhood,  had  died  just  before 
the  date  fixed  upon  for  their  nuptials,  and 
she  gave  out  that  she  deemed  it  her  duty  to 
render  her  widowhood  irrevocable  by  dying 
with  her  betrothed.  So  she  sent  cards  round 
to  the  neighboring  gentry,  giving  notice  of 
the  purpose  I  have  mentioned.     No  attempt 


Chinese  Social  Institutions. 


was  made  by  lier  relatives  or  by  the  local  au- 
thorities to  frustrate  the  insane  design,  the  gen- 
eral opinion,  on  the  contrary,  being  that  she 
was  about  to  perform  a  meritorious  act.  I 
even  went  so  far  as  to  appeal  to  the  mandarins 
to  put  a  stop  to  the  proceeding,  but  they  as- 
sm*ed  me  that  interference  on  their  part  might 
lead  to  a  popular  demonstration.  Eventually, 
on  the  day  named,  the  woman  did  deliberate- 
ly sacrifice  her  life  in  the  presence  of  thou- 
sands. A  stage  was  erected  in  the  open  fields, 
with  a  tented  frame  over  it,  from  which  was 
suspended  a  slip  of  scarlet  crape  ;  one  end  of 
this  she  adjusted  round  her  neck.  She  then 
embraced  a  little  boy,  probably  a  little  brother, 
presented  by  a  person  standing  by,  and  having 
let  fall  a  veil  over  her  face,  she  mounted  a 
chair  and  resolutely  jumped  off  it,  her  little 
clasped  hands  saluting  the  assemblage  as  her 
fast-faihng  frame  twMed  round  with  the  tight- 
ening cord. 

As  far  as  I  could  ascertain  the  woman  was 
not  di'ugged,  neither  was  she  hounded  on  to 
her  fate  by  a  fanatic  mob,  as  was,  I  beheve. 


114         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

the  practice  at  Suttees  in  India,  but  the  im- 
molation was  entirely  a  voluntary  act  on  her 
part.  I  confess  I  could  not  muster  courage 
to  be  present,  but  some  friends  who  were 
staying  with  me  witnessed  the  proceeding, 
and  they  all  concurred  in  declaring  it  to  have 
been  one  of  the  most  affecting  sights  that  they 
had  seen.  Sacrifices  of  this  kind  are  not  un- 
common in  certain  districts,  but  they  are  not 
always  performed  in  public  and  with  so  much 
of  eclat. 

Friendly  and  family  gatherings  are  con- 
stantly going  on,  and  there  is  nothing  that  a 
Chinaman  or  woman  loves  so  well  as  a  gossip 
over  a  pipe  and  a  cup  of  tea.  A  favorite 
pastime  is  for  literary  men  to  meet  at  a 
fashionable  restaurant  or  at  some  romantic 
retreat  amongst  sylvan  scenery,  and  indulge 
a  friendly  antagonism  in  the  composition  of 
rhymes,  one  against  the  other,  draughts  of 
wine  being  the  forfeit  incmTed  by  the  least 
successful. 

Their  women  do  not  mix  in  society,  but 
their  social  influence  is  by  no  means  limited, 


Chinese  Social  Institutions.  115 

and  the  older  ladies  in  families  especially  are 
looked  up  to  and  treated  with  much  deference 
and  consideration.  Although  confined  very 
much  to  the  house,  they  ajDpear  to  be  happy 
enough  in  each  other's  companionship,  if  one 
may  judge  by  the  merriment  always  to  be 
heard  going  on  in  what  are  termed  ''  the 
inner  apartments."  Amongst  shopkeepers,  me- 
chanics, agriculturists,  and  the  lower  cLis;  es 
generally,  the  women  of  necessity  occupy  a 
more  prominent  positioji  in  the  household, 
and  are  consequently  to  be  seen  mixing  more 
freely  with  the  men,  and  taking  their  fall 
share  of  the  daily  labor. 

Marriage  ceremonies  are  conducted  with 
much  formality,  the  rules  for  which  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  rank  and  means  of  the  parties, 
and  the  particular  province  or  district  in  which 
they  reside.  The  pledging  by  the  couple  of 
each  other  in  wine,  and  their  united  act  of 
obeisance  to  their  several  parents  if  alive,  or 
to  their  manes  if  deceased,  appear  to  constitute 
the  really  binding  process  in  all  cases.  No 
official   registration  nor   religious  rite  is  con- 


116         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

sidered  necessary,  the  contract  being-  strictly 
a  civil  one.  The  tie  is  held  indissoluble  and 
sacred  as  a  rule,  but  instances  occur  in  which 
a  husband  considers  himself  entitled  to  put 
away  his  wife,  and  pubhc  opinion  sustains 
bim  in  the  proceeding.  The  grounds  of 
divorce  are  some  seven  in  number,  and  one 
or  two  of  them  would  be  regarded  by  us  as 
puerile  to  a  degree,  as  for  instance  a  persistent 
habit  of  loquacity  on  the  part  of  the  lady. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  certain  circum- 
stances in  which  divorce  is  not  permitted 
under  any  consideration.  A  man,  for  example, 
who  by  some  freak  of  fortune  attains  to  wealth 
or  honor  in  after-life  may  not  repudiate  the 
partner  of  his  poorer  years.  Polygamy  is 
common  amongst  the  well-to-do,  but  rather  in 
the  shape  of  concubinage,  the  wife  par  excel- 
lence always  maintaining  her  position  and 
rights  quoad  the  rest  of  the  household;  her 
children  likewise  taking  23recedence  of  those 
of  the  other  wives.  Early  marriage  is  uni- 
versal, and  such  a  thing  as  an  old  maid  or 
b  achelor  is  entirely  unknown.     But  it  is  no 


Chinese  Social  Institutions  117 

considered  respectable  for  a  widow  to  marry 
again,  and,  where  a  betrothed  girl  loses  her 
affianced  husband,  it  is  regarded  as  extremely 
mentorious  for  her  to  abjm-e  the  wedded  state 
altogether.  So  marked  is  public  opinion  in 
this  particular,  that  testimonials  are  often  voted 
by  the  peoj)le  to  commemorate  such  instances 
of  fidelity. 

Prostitution  exists  in  all  the  large  cities, 
but  the  law  and  j)ublic  opinion  combine  to 
keep  it  under  a  certain  check,  and  the  practice 
of  early  maniage  must  have  a  salutary  effect 
in  counteracting  its  baneful  influences. 

Matrimonial  alliances  between  persons  of 
the  same  surname  are  not  tolerated,  it  being 
presumed  that  they  must  of  necessity  be  re- 
lated. Consequently,  cousins  by  the  father's 
side  may  not  interwed,  although  those  by  the 
mother's  side  are  permitted  to  do  so.  This  is 
perhaps  as  much  a  sentimental  as  a  legal  ob- 
jection, and  it  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  patri- 
archal system,  which  has  always  prevailed  in 
China,  of  members  of  the  same  family  or  clan 
congregating  together  in  the   same   locality. 


118         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

This  lias  been  so  universally  the  practice  for 
ages  past,  that  whole  villages  may  be  found 
nowadays  with  inhabitants  all  bearing  the 
same  patronymic,  and  according  a  deference 
little  short  of  loyalty  to  the  aged  leaders  of 
the  clan.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the  list  of  family 
sm-names  distributed  amongst  the  hundreds  of 
millions  who  crowd  the  country  numbers  little 
over  four  hundi'ed,  so  that  the  selection  for 
matrimonial  purposes  is  exceedingly  limited 
as  far  as  the  similarity  of  surname  is  concerned. 
Nevertheless,  the  restriction  does  not  appear 
to  be  found  irksome. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

COERESPONDENCE    AND    THE    PRESS. 

Correspondence  by  letter  is  very  general 
in  China,  the  post  being  conveyed  between 
city  and  city  by  couriers,  who  earn  their  live- 
lihood by  carrying  letters  at  a  certain  rate  of 
mileage,  agreed  upon  by  general  consent. 
Official  communications  are  dispatched  to  and 
fro  by  special  messengers,  who,  in  cases  of 
emergency,  have  horses  pro\aded  for  them, 
and  so  attain  a  speed  of  150  to  170  miles  per 
diem.  Carrier-pigeons,  too,  are  largely  em- 
ployed by  business  houses.  Governmental 
post-offices  and  stamps  are  as  yet  a  di-eam  of 
the  future.  Business  letters  are  written  upon 
plain  white  paper,  and  folded  very  much  as 
om's  used  to  be  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  be- 
fore envelopes  came  into  vogue.  No  sealing- 
wax  is  used,  but  the  fold  is  fastened  down  by 


120         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliay. 

moans  of  a  little  paste,  and  a  seal  bearing  a 
private  monogram,  or  some  lucky  motto,  is  af- 
fixed to  the  suture  with  coloring  matter. 

Friendly  notes  and  billets  are  inscribed  up- 
on slips  of  delicately  tinted  paper,  tastefully 
embossed  ^Yith  flowers,  vases,  and  sundiy 
quaint  devices  peculiar  to  the  Chinese,  and 
these  are  enclosed  in  decorated  envelopes,  a 
convenience,  by  the  way,  which  the  Chinese 
introduced  long  before  it  was  thought  of  in 
the  West.  The  mammoth  cards  pre^dously 
described  are  also  used  for  scribbling  notes  on. 
The  language  is  always  as  flowery  as  the  ma- 
terial, and  special  care  is  taken  to  employ  the 
most  euphemistic  expressions  possible,  when 
refen'ing  to  the  indi^adual  addressed,  and  the 
most  depreciatory  when  alluding  to  the  writer 
or  to  his  belonofing-s. 

Curiously  enough  signatures  have  not  that 
importance  attached  to  them  by  the  Chinese 
which  they  possess  in  most  countries  and 
amongst  people  of  business  habits.  A  com- 
monplace letter  is  not  closed  with  anything 
like  our  conventional  "  Yours  obediently,"  or 


Correspondence  and  the  Press.  121 

"  faithfully,"  or  "  sincerely,"  or  "  affectionate- 
ly," followed  by  the  sign  manual  of  the  writer ; 
but  it  ends  with  the  subscnption,  "  written  on 
such  and  such  a  lucky  day  by  younger  brother 
so  and  so."  And  where  the  identity  of  the 
wiiter  is  a  matter  of  moment,  a  small  seal 
containing  a  monogram  of  the  name  or  of 
some  favorite  motto  is  impressed  upon  the  s]30t 
covered  by  the  date  or  the  name.  The  only 
approach  to  a  signature  used  by  the  Chinese 
is  a  device  embodying  two  or  three  characters 
in  one,  and  written  so  rapidly  as  to  be  beyond 
the  possibility  of  counterfeit.  This  conceit  is 
mostly  affected  by  literary  men.  Promissory 
notes,  bills,  receipts,  agreements,  and  such  like 
are  authenticated  by  a  stamp,  bearing,  not  the 
name  of  the  concern,  but  the  style  or  appel- 
lation by  which  it  is  kno^^m  in  business. 

In  official  communications  the  Chinese  in- 
dulge the  identical  weakness  that  we  have  for 
the  use  of  awe-inspiring  stationery,  although 
perhaps  they  exaggerate  it  to  a  more  formi- 
dable extent.  I  have  seen,  for  instance,  an 
official  letter  in  folds  measuring-  toa'Cther  some 


122         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

forty  feet  in  length  and  inclosed  in  an  en- 
velope 24  iiiclies  by  10.  A  book  might  be 
written  describing  all  the  various  forms  of 
letters  and  styles  of  addi-ess  which  official 
etiquette  prescribes  to  the  several  ranks  and 
departments  of  mandaiindom.  As  a  rule  the 
communications  do  credit  to  the  scholarship  of 
the  \^1'iters  as  well  as  to  the  penmanship  of  the 
secretaries.  As  in  the  case  of  common  letters, 
no  signatm-e  is  ever  attached,  the  official  seal 
being  the  sole  mark  of  authentication. 

The  Chinese  cherish  a  cm-ious  veneration 
for  all  written  paper.  A  scribbler  who  does 
not  care  to  retain  the  scrap  he  has  been  writ- 
ing on  will  not  be  seen  to  tear  it  up  into  bits 
to  be  thrown  heedlessly  away.  He  'will  care- 
fully crunch  it  up,  and  either  put  the  ball  into 
the  fii'st  fire  he  may  come  across,  or  he  will 
pocket  it  until  he  finds  a  basket,  which  he  is 
sure  to  discover  somewhere  close  by,  placed 
for  the  purpose,  and  the  contents  of  which  are 
scrupulously  burnt.  Such  receptacles  may  be 
noticed  here  and  there  in  the  streets,  and 
devout  persons  frequently  place  urns  covered 


Correspondence  and  the  Press.        123 

in  by  miniature  temples  on  the  wayside,  for 
the  reception  and  decent  disposal  of  written  or 
printed  scraps,  with  the  inscription  over  the 
tiny  doorway,  '' Respect  and  treat  kindly  in- 
scribed pajDer."  There  are  also  certain  people, 
who,  by  way  of  performing-  a  meritorious  act, 
hire  collectors  to  go  round  a  town  with  baskets, 
and,  on  receiving  their  gleanings,  heap  these 
together  on  a  sacred  bonfire. 

The  Press,  which  holds  so  important  a  posi- 
tion in  this  and  other  Western  countries,  can 
hardly  be  said  to  be  even  known  in  China. 
One  paper  alone  is  in  general  circulation,  a 
sort  of  official  gazette,  which  professes  to  pub- 
lish the  principal  memorials  of  high  function- 
aries to  the  Emperor,  the  Imperial  decrees  and 
rescripts,  and  lists  of  changes  in  official  circles. 
It  is  said  to  be  printed  in  Peking,  from  wax 
blocks,  and  is  distributed  thence  by  postal 
couriers  to  all  the  Goverament  offices  in  the 
provinces,  whence  transcripts  get  abroad 
amongst  the  common  people.  It  contains  no 
original  matter  of  any  kind,  and,  curiously 
enough,  like  the  earliest  newspaper  issues  in 


124         The  Foreigner  in  Far   Cathay. 

our  own  countiy,  it  is  not  in  any  way  used  as 
an  advertising-  medium.  Public  opinion  finds 
no  expression  in  its  pages,  save  tlu'ough  the 
State  papers  which  it  contains,  and  some  of 
which,  it  must  be  confessed,  are  not  wanting 
in  outspoken  criticism,  both  of  departments 
and  individuals,  and  at  times  even  of  the  Im- 
perial Com't  itself  In  this  respect  at  any  rate 
it  may  be  said  to  be  far  in  advance  of  oiu'  own 
early  London  Gazettes,  which  never  contained 
any  intelligence  that  it  did  not  suit  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Court  to  publish.  It  is  at  the 
same  time  a  fact  worthy  of  notice,  that  the 
country  in  which  the  art  of  printing  was  ear- 
liest known,  and  in  which  literature  has  had 
an  undoubted  and  influential  sway  for  many 
centuries,  should  at  this  moment  be  the  only 
one  amongst  nations  making  any  pretence  to 
civilization,  in  which  the  press  has  no  footing 
as  a  vehicle  of  opinion.  The  fact  is  the  more 
remarkable,  since  the  Chinese  are  essentially 
a  reading  people,  and  show  their  ajipreciation 
of  newspapers  by  the  avidity  with  which  the 
two  or  three  native  papers  issued  by  the  Shang- 


Correspondence  and  the  Press.  125 

hae  foreign  presses  are  read,  and  by  the  eager- 
ness with  which  they  seek  to  have  the  articles 
in  Enghsh  papers  translated  for  their  informa- 
tion. It  is  my  con^dction  that  there  is  noth- 
ing that  would  tend  more  sm-ely  and  speedily 
to  open  the  eyes  of  the  Chinese  Government 
and  people  to  a  true  sense  of  the  advantages 
of  Western  commerce,  progress,  and  civiliza- 
tion, and  prepare  the  way  for  more  extended 
and  friendly  relations  with  foreigners,  than  a 
few  well-conducted  newsj)apers  in  the  native 
language,  and  no  channel  for  effecting  the 
change  would  prove  more  acceptable  to  the 
people  themselves.  Much  credit  is  due  to  the 
partial  attempts  which  have  already  been  made 
in  this  direction  at  Shanghae,  but  the  pubhca- 
tions  turned  out  are  still  sadly  lacking  in  the 
composition  and  style  which  are  needed  to 
ensure  general  acceptance  with  the  reading 
public. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

MODES    OF    SEPULTURE. 

The  neighborhood  of  a  Chinese  city  is  al- 
ways remarkable  for  the  vast  number  of  tombs 
which  meet  the  eye  in  every  direction.  Wher- 
ever there  is  a  hill  or  elevation  in  a  populous 
district  it  is  certain  to  be  thickly  covered  with 
earthen  mounds,  so  thickly  indeed  that  one 
wonders  where  any  futm^e  dead  will  find  room 
to  lie  ;  where  the  country  is  flat,  mounds  and 
coffins  may  be  seen  scattered  about  the  fields, 
but  as  a  rule  a  Chinaman  prefers  to  lay  his 
bones  upon  a  slope.  The  grave  when  planted 
on  a  hillside  is  always  placed  so  as  to  cause 
the  headstone  to  face  down-hill,  it  being  con- 
sidered lucky  for  the  remains  to  have  a  good 
position  with  respect  to  the  "  Feng  Shuy," 
or  geomantic  influences  of  the  locality. 
Wealthy  people  spend  months  and  years  in 


Modes  of  Sejmlt'ure.  127 

the  selection  of  such  a  favorable  spot,  and 
grudge  no  outlay  in  securing  it  when  found. 
Whether  the  remains  receive  all  the  benefit 
intended  may  be  a  question,  but  such  taste 
is  always  exhibited  in  the  selection  of  a  point 
from  which  the  vista  of  hill  and  dale  may  be 
seen  to  the  best  advantage  that  some  of  the 
most  lovely  and  romantic  views  in  China  may 
be  had  by  climbing  to  first-class  tombs  upon 
the  hillsides. 

The  Chinese  modes  of  sepulture  are  various. 
Wealthy  families  pm-chase  plots  of  ground, 
which  they  enclose  and  plant  with  pine,  firs, 
cypress,  and  other  evergreens,  and  furnish 
with  temples,  in  which  the  ancestral  tablets 
are  preserved,  and  the  periodical  sacrifices  to 
the  manes  of  the  departed  performed.  These 
burial-places  are  reverently  cherished  for 
generations,  and  are  often  most  picturesque 
and  romantic  spots.  The  tomb  is  generally 
composed  of  one  or  more  chambers  construct- 
ed of  brick,  laid  with  mortar  so  pecu- 
harly  prepared  -with  the  admixtm-e  of  rice 
and  sugar  as  to   harden   into  a  marble,  and 


128         The  Foreigner  in  Far   CatJimj. 


defy  the  ravages  of  centuries.  Over  this  is 
placed  a  respectable  mound,  either  covered 
with  plain  sod  and  sm-mounted  by  some  umbra- 
geous evergreen,  or  cased  with  mortar.  This 
mound  is  encu-cled,  except  in  front,  by  a  low 
substantial  wall,  which  turns  off  to  either  side 
at  the  entrance,  and  so  describes  as  near  as 
possible  the  form  of  the  Greek  letter  omega. 
Fronting  the  entrance  is  the  headstone,  which 
always  bears  a  plain  insciiption,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  fair  translated  specimen,  "  The 
tomb  of  A.  B.,  of  Ningpo,  of  the  reign  of 
Tungchih,  of  the  Tatsing  Dynasty ;  erected 
on  a  propitious  day  in  a  vernal  month  of  such 
and  such  a  year."  The  age,  condition,  or 
history  of  the  deceased  is  never  given  ;  neither 
do  the  inscriptions  ever  indulge  in  the  eulo- 
gistic comments  or  pathetic  quotations  so 
common  to  epitaphs  in  Western  countries. 
In  cases  where  the  deceased  was  a  person  of 
eminence,  or  a  high  public  functionary,  it  is 
customary  to  front  the  grave  with  an  avenue 
formed  of  several  pairs  of  gigantic  stone 
figures  of  men  and  animals,  which,  although 


Modes  of  Sepulture.  129 

but  rude  specimens  of  works  of  art,  always  com- 
bine to  give  the  scene  an  imposing  and  solemn 
character.  This  must,  however,  have  been  a 
practice  more  common  in  ancient  times  than 
now,  for  1  cannot  remember  ever  having  ob- 
served any  such  monuments  about  the  country 
but  what  were  hoary  and  ruinous  with  age. 
The  ancestor  of  the  family  and  his  spouse 
always  occupy  the  most  commanding  spot 
in  the  enclosm-e  facing  the  supposed  "  Feng 
Shuy,"  and  the  other  branches  of  the  family 
are  assigned  places  on  either  side,  the  graves 
advancing  towards  the  main  gate  as  the  gene- 
rations descend.  I  have  seen  them  arranged 
in  one  or  two  instances  with  all  the  order  and 
exactitude  of  a  genealogical  tree. 

The  middle  and  poorer  classes  are  content 
to  inter  their  dead  upon  the  apen  hillside, 
sometimes  erecting  a  brick  or  stone  tomb,  as 
above  described,  over  the  remains,  and  some- 
times only  a  plain  earth  mound.  In  the  plains 
a  not  uncommon  method  of  burial  is  to  place 
the  coffin  upon  a  stand  a  foot  or  two  above  the 
ground,  and  to  construct  over  it  a  brick  and 


130         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

mortar  casing  covered  with  a  tiled  roof,  or, 
where  the  parties  are  veiy  poor,  a  thatch  or 
straw  covering.  In  the  former  case  the  brick 
walls  may  often  be  observed  perforated  with 
apertures  in  the  shape  of  characters,  with  suit- 
able meanings,  such  as,  ''  Happiness,"  "  Lon- 
gevity," ''Rest,"  "Beautiful  City,"  "Last 
abode,"  and  such  like.  Children's  remains,  as 
has  already  been  stated,  the  Chinese  do  not 
consider  it  necessary  to  afford  sepulture  to.  If 
those  of  mere  infants,  they  are  tied  up  in  mat- 
ting and  deposited  in  a  lone  place,  or  thrown 
into  a  canal  or  general  receptacle  for  infant 
dead.  When  the  children  are  a  little  more  ad- 
vanced in  years  they  are  placed  in  roughly 
constructed  coffins,  which  are  laid  down  in  any 
convenient  solitary  spot.  A  walk  round  the 
walls  of  a  Chinese  city  will  afford  the  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  many  such  a  melancholy 
relic. 

Public  cemeteries  may  often  be  seen  out- 
side the  limits  of  a  populous  town,  but  these 
are  the  properties  of  guilds  or  clubs  instituted 
by  strangers  resorting  to  said  town  for  pur- 


Modes  of  Sepulture.  131 

poses  of  business  or  otherwise.  The  Chinese 
are  a  very  clannish  people,*  and  when  a  num- 
ber of  persons  belonging-  to  the  same  province 
or  city  find  themselves  congregated  in  a  dis- 
tant locality  they  invariably  set  up  a  club,  un- 
der the  direction  of  a  committee  selected  an- 
nually from  amongst  its  most  influential  mem- 
bers. The  institution  serves  the  double  pur- 
pose of  an  assembly  room,  where  the  clans- 
men can  discuss  public  questions  or  hold  high 
festival,  and  a  com't  of  arbitration  to  which 
they  can  refer  business  disputes  in  preference 
to  appearing  before  the  local  authorities.  One 
of  the  duties  such  an  establishment  under- 
takes is  to  inter  at  the  public  expense  the  re- 
mains of  any  poor  members,  and  hence  the 
necessity  of  a  cemetery  for  the  pui-pose.  Most 
of  these  cemeteries  are  furnished  with  a  sacri- 
ficial temple,  to  which  are  attached  extensive 
suites  of  rooms  for  the  reception  of  the  coffins 
of  the  richer  members,  pending  transmission 
home  to  their  own  native  districts ;  for  a  Chi- 
naman prizes  beyond  all  things  the  privilege 
of  laying  his  bones  near  those  of  his  fore- 


132         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliay 

fathers.  It  is  in  such  receptacles  for  the  dead 
that  one  can  contem'plate  that  curiosity,  a  Chi- 
nese coffin,  in  its  perfection.  It  is  seldom  de- 
corated save  with  tlie  fi"-ure  of  the  g-od  of 
longevity,  or  with  the  character  meaning 
"  length  of  years  "  carved  at  either  end.  The 
quality  and  ponderosity  of  the  wood  are  the 
main  points  looked  to,  and  immense  sums  are 
expended,  sometimes  even  before  death,  in  se- 
eming" enormous  blocks  of  the  most  desirable 
mateiial  j^rocurable.  The  lid  is  morticed  on, 
not  screwed  or  nailed,  and  the  utmost  care  is 
taken  to  cement  all  joints,  so  as  not  to  leave 
the  slightest  cre\ice  through  which  air  can 
enter  or  escape  ;  a  small  aperture  is,  however, 
purposely  drilled  through  that  part  of  the  lid 
which  covers  the  face  of  the  occupant,  so  as 
to  leave  a  channel  of  exit  and  entrance  for  the 
spirit  at  its  option.  The  precautions  thus 
taken  are  so  effectual,  that  one  may  wander 
all  over  such  an  establishment  without  per- 
ceiving any  odor  of  decaying  animal  matter. 

A  Chinese  is  bound  by  custom  and  duty  to 
repair  and  sacrifice  at  the  graves  of  his  deceased 


Modes  of  Sepulture.  133 

relatives  on  a  certain  day  during  the  spring 
of  each  year,  and  it  is  both  an  interesting  and 
cm-ious  sight  to  see  the  hill-sides  on  that  and 
several  succeeding  days  covered  with  parties 
of  people  dressed  in  white  or  sackcloth  attend- 
ing to  this  duty.  It  consists  in  "  sweeping  and 
sacrificing  "  as  it  is  called,  but  actually  weed- 
ing and  repairing  the  precincts  of  the  grave, 
and  then  burning  a  due  quantity  of  paper 
money  specially  constructed  for  currency  in 
the  upper  regions.  Sometimes  offerings  of 
meat,  fruit,  cakes,  and  liquor,  are  presented. 
By  some  of  the  sacrificers  the  process  is  gone 
through  as  a  true  labor  of  love,  and  more 
respect  and  grief  could  not  be  exhibited  were 
the  loss  one  but  of  a  few  days  instead  of  years 
old.  But  the  majority  perfomi  the  duty  with 
but  small  show  of  reverence  or  sorrow.  In  fact 
the  demeanor  of  the  Chinese  in  respect  to 
their  dead  is  often  very  contradictory.  Women 
will  wail  over  a  dead  body  in  the  house,  and 
even  the  men  will  blubber  at  one  moment,  and 
at  another  they  will  be  feasting,  chatting,  and 
cracking   jokes  together,    as    if  nothing  had 


134         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

happened.  A  coffin  will  be  allowed  to  lie  under 
a  shed  for  months  or  out  in  the  fields  with  but 
a  scanty  covering  of  thatch,  and  suddenly 
large  expense  will  be  incuiTed  to  give  it  de- 
cent burial.  Another  coffin  may  be  so  worn 
and  rotten  that  the  bones  may  be  observed 
protruding,  and  yet  not  the  slightest  effort 
be  made  to  repair  or  replace  their  receptacle  ; 
but  let  a  cuiious  foreigner  be  seen  to  take  up 
one  of  these  bones  in  too  inquisitive  a  manner, 
and  it  may  be  the  means  of  bringing  down 
upon  him  the  vengeance  of  an  enthe  village 
of  people. 

Posthumous  testimonials  of  a  public  nature 
form  a  notable  feature  in  Chinese  streets  and 
highways.  They  consist  of  square  frames  of 
stone,  boasting  httle,  if  any,  architectui-al 
beauty,  but  often  elaborately  carved,  and  they 
may  be  seen  spanning  the  main  thoroughfares 
within  a  city,  or  lining  the  wayside  at  the 
suburban  entrances  outside  the  gates.  The 
banks  of  the  Grand  Canal  are  abundantly 
studded  with  such  monuments.  They  are,  as 
a  rule,  testimonials  to  individual  instances  of 


Modes  of  Sepulture.  135 

official  probity,  filial  piety,  female  punty,  and 
conjugal  fidelity,  those  representing  the  two 
last  being  considerably  in  the  preponderance  ; 
and  they  are  erected  either  by  the  gentry  of 
the  district,  or  at  their  instance  and  that  of 
the  local  executive  by  the  Imperial  command. 
The  inscriptions  upon  them  are  generally 
limited  to  a  record  of  the  name  of  the  indi- 
vidual, the  special  virtue  it  is  desired  to  com- 
memorate, and  the  date  of  the  erection. 
Where  the  Emperor  is  the  som'ce  of  the 
honor  confen-ed,  one  character,  meaning  "be- 
stowed," is  carved  in  a  framework  of  dra- 
gons over  the  inscription.  The  case,  de- 
scribed in  a  foiTner  chapter,  of  the  self-sacrifice 
of  an  affianced  girl,  would  probably  earn  for 
the  heroine  such  a  mark  of  public  or  even 
governmental  approbation. 

Mom-ning  is  of  three  kinds.  There  is  the 
three  years'  term,  practically  twenty-seven 
months,  which  is  worn  for  a  parent  or  hus- 
band. Then  the  one  year,  worn  for  a  grand- 
parent, wife,  brother,  paternal  uncle,  etc. 
And  third,  the  five  or  three  months,  worn  for 


136         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

relations  further  removed  on  the  male  side. 
Mourning-  is  not  worn  for  any  female  relative 
other  than  mother,  grandmother,  or  wife. 
At  funerals,  especially  of  important  kindi'ed, 
sackcloth  is  worn,  but  for  permanent  moui'n- 
ing-  white  is  the  recog-nized  color.  Where 
it  is  very  deep,  the  cap  and  shoes  are  white, 
and  white  silk  instead  of  black  is  entwined 
amongst  the  plaits  at  the  extremity  of  the 
queue.  The  contrast  in  this  custom  to  our 
own  is  not  so  very  startling,  when  it  is  re- 
membered that  so  lately  as  three  centmies 
ago  white  was  the  mourning  color  in  Eng- 
land and  some  parts  of  Em'ope. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

USE     OF     THE     WRITTEN     CHARACTER     FOR 
DECORATION. 

Another  interesting  fact  connected  with  the 
Chinese,  and  one  which  has  not  received  that 
attention  from  writers  upon  the  country  which 
it  deserves,  is  the  partiahty  shown  by  the  peo- 
ple for  their  written  character,  and  the  extent 
to  which  it  is  appHed  for  piu-poses  of  decora- 
tion. Tlie  taste  exhibited  in  the  advertisement 
by  tradesmen  of  their  business  and  wares  has 
abeady  been  alhided  to  ;  yet  the  shop  signs 
form  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  inscriptions 
which  attract  the  notice  whilst  traversing  a 
Chinese  city.  Characters  of  all  sizes  and 
colors  appear  to  teem  in  every  direction  and 
upon  everything,  until  the  careless  traveller  is 
8,pt  to  weary  of  the  perpetually  recmTing  hie- 
roglyphic ;  but  to  the  inquiring  mind  there  is 


138         The  Foreigner  iu  Far  Caihay. 

an  interest  in  speculating  what  it  all  means, 
and  the  Chinese  student  will  find  in  the  collec- 
tion a  convenient  opportunity  for  studying 
and  acquiring  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
few  thousand  characters  which  should  suffice 
to  give  him  a  practical  knowledge  of  the 
lang-uao-e. 

The  wholesale  manner  in  which  some 
churches  are  decorated  nowadays  with  texts, 
etc.,  will  perhaps  convey  the  nearest  idea  of 
the  extent  to  which  the  character  is  used  in 
the  embellishment  of  public  buildings  and 
dwelling  houses.  Scarcely  a  w^all,  door,  win- 
dow, or  pillar,  but  displays  in  some  shape  or 
other  its  scroll,  tablet,  or  device,  bearing  some 
felicitous  couplet,  motto,  or  monogram,  artistic- 
ally inscribed.  In  the  better  class  of  houses 
the  principal  room  is  decorated  with  movable 
panelled  doors,  on  each  of  which  there  is  a 
spirited  sketch  with  accompanying  inscription 
in  seal  character  or  shorthand.  The  scrolls 
mostly  contain  apophthegms  or  classical  or 
poetical  quotations,  or  they  are  inscribed  with 
some  impromptu  sentiment,  the  autograph  con- 


Written  Character  for  Decoration.         139 

tribution  of  a  distinguished  person  or  friend ; 
where  they  are  in  pairs,  antithesis  in  rhythm 
and  signification  are  always  carefully  studied, 
as,  for  instance,  if  we  should  write  in  Eng- 
Hsh: 

The  autumn  breeze  sighs  through  the  pine  trees, 
The  summer  zephyrs  fructify  the  peach  blossom. 

Over  the  entrance  to  the  door  is  generally 
wi'itten  some  sentence  deprecatory  of  e^dl  or 
imploratory  of  good.  A  not  uncommon  in- 
scription is,  "  May  the  five  blessings  descend 
upon  this  door," — the  five  being  contentment, 
health,  long  life,  wealth,  success.  Another 
common  insciiption  is,  "  His  Holiness  Kiang 
is  here ;  of  nothing  are  we  afraid."  Kiang 
was  a  famous  general  of  the  Chow  Dynasty 
who  was  peculiarly  quick  at  discovering  and 
exposing  villainy  of  every  kind,  and  was  sub- 
sequently canonized  in  consequence.  Panels 
of  doors  and  windows  are  frequently  decorated 
with  the  character  '^  happiness."  Another 
favorite  word  is  ''long  life,"  and  these  two  to- 
gether, with  a  third,  meaning  "  rich  emolu- 
ment," repeated  in  pei'petually  recm'iing  series, 


140         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

constitute  a  favorite  device  for  borderings  and 
otherwise.  Over  shop  doors  of  the  humbler 
class  may  be  seen  the  inscription,  "  Peace  be 
to  those  who  go  out  and  come  in ;"  or  again, 
"May  wealthy  customers  perpetually  arrive." 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  it  is  the  cus- 
tom to  erect  a  blank,  wall  or  fence  facing  the 
door,  so  as  to  avert  any  evil  influences  from 
entering  in.  Upon  this  is  generally  pasted  a 
slip  of  paper  inscribed  with  the  sentence : 
"  Opposite  to  me  may  wealth  arise  ;"  or  :  ''  On 
opening  the  door  may  I  see  good  luck ;"  or  : 
"  The  Imperial  beneficence  is  illimitable." 

The  temples  teem  with  inscriptions,  both 
in  the  shape  of  antithetical  scrolls  and  orna- 
mental tablets  suspended  horizontally.  These 
are  principally  presented  to  the  slmne  by 
grateful  or  admiring  votaries,  and  they  have 
more  or  less  reference  to  the  attributes  of  the 
particular  deity  complimented.  Those  given 
to  the  temple  to  the  tutelary  divinity  of 
Shanghae,  situated  in  the  tea-gardens  there, 
will  serve  very  -well  as  specimens  of  the  rest. 
Over  the  main  entrance  may  be  seen,  "  Uni- 


Written  Character  for  Deeoratiou.         141 

versal  joy  for  the  people,"  and  "  Be  there  but 
a  prayer,  and  the  response  must  follow." 
The  latter  maxim  possesses  an  interesting 
resemblance  to  our  own  Bible  assiu-ance, 
''  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receiye,"  etc.,  and  it  may 
often  be  observed  inscribed  on  little  shrines 
upon  the  roadside  in  country  places,  showing 
the  faith  the  people  have  in  the  efficacy  of 
prayer.  Further  within  the  city  temple  may 
be  observed  several  handsome  slabs  suspended 
over  the  principal  halls.  One  is  inscribed 
with  the  words,  ''  Protection  given  to  all 
people ;"  a  third,  with  "  Power  of  protection 
unlimited ;"  a  fourth,  with  the  precept,  "  All 
evil  deeds  avoid."  It  is  considered  a  highly 
meritorious  act  to  present  a  temple  with  a 
valuable  inscription  ;  and,  where  the  donor  is 
a  person  of  note  or  influence,  care  is  taken 
to  exhibit  the  gift  in  the  most  conspicuous 
position  the  temple  has  at  disposal.  In  most 
temples  a  tablet  may  be  seen  placed  in  the 
most  prominent  position  upon  the  j^i'incipal 
altar,  inscribed  with  the  loyal  prayer,  "Long 
live  the  Emperor." 


142         Tlie  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliay. 

The  rocks  adjoining  temples  in  romantic 
spots,  which  the  Chinese,  hke  all  idolaters, 
are  very  partial  to  as  localities  for  their 
shrines,  are  frequently  covered  with  fantastic 
inscriptions  in  huge  characters,  deeply  graven, 
so  as  to  defy  time  and  Aveather,  Some  of 
these  are  so  ancient  and  so  highly  valued 
that  lengthy  journeys  are  constantly  under- 
taken by  antiquaries  and  others  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  obtaining  rubbings,  which 
are  afterwards  handsomely  mounted  as  scrolls, 
and  hung  as  we  use  pictures. 

The  large  extent  to  which  the  character  is 
employed  upon  lanterns  is  a  very  noticeable 
feature.  A  Chinaman  and  his  lantern  are  in- 
separable. Let  him  start  on  any  errand  which 
is  likely  to  occupy  him  until  sunset,  and  his 
lantern  w^ill  be  the  first  article  that  he  lays 
hands  on  to  carry  Avith  him.  Even  on  the 
brightest  moonlight  night  he  considers  it  his 
duty  to  provide  himself  with  artificial  light ; 
and  it  is  a  curious  sight  at  a  large  fire  at  night 
to  see  the  crowds  which  fill  the-  streets,  every 
man  with  his  lantern  held  aloft,  although  the 


Written  Character  for  Decoration.         143 

very  heavens  are  all  ablaze  with  light.  This 
practice  owes  its  rise,  no  doubt,  to  the  absence 
of  any  system  of  public  lighting-  for  the  streets 
and  highways.  The  lantern  has  none  the  less 
its  uses  in  daylight ;  suspended  over  doorways 
and  along  the  fronts  of  shops  it  declares  the 
surname  of  the  proprietor  within  in  huge 
characters,  and  no  respectable  domicile  is  with- 
out one.  Indeed  all  lanterns,  whether  carried 
in  the  hand  or  otherwise,  are  inscribed  with 
the  surnames  of  their  ow^ners,  so  that  whilst 
walkinof  the  street  of  a  nio^ht  a  man  can  al- 
ways  discern  that  his  friend  Jones  or  Robin- 
son is  approaching,  long  before  his  figure  is 
discernible.  Official  persons  show  their  titles 
on  their  lanterns,  not  their  names,  a  rule  which 
is  frequently  abused  by  vagabonds,  who  have 
only  to  show  a  lantern  inscribed  wdth  "  The 
Magistrate  "  to  be  able  to  extract  money  from 
the  weak  or  unwary.  Wealthy  families  and 
officials  affect  the  large  globular  lantern,  the 
common  classes  a  smaller  one  of  cylindiical 
shape.  The  characters  are  always  inscribed 
in  red  or  black  paint,  save  in  time  of  mourn- 


1 44         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 


iiig,  when  blue  is  employed.  Lanterns  form 
an  important  adjunct  in  all  processions,  idola- 
trous, lipneneal,  and  funereal;  and  on  sucli 
occasions  the  larger  the  lantern  the  more  im- 
posing is  its  effect  considered. 

The  apparel  of  the  Chinese  again  is  con- 
stantly to  be  seen  decorated  with  the  written 
character.  It  is  observable  principally  u]ion 
the  large  cuff  attached  to  the  sleeves  worn  by 
females  and  upon  their  little  slioes,  upon  chil- 
dren's caps  and  clothes,  and  upon  the  snuff- 
bottles,  tobacco-pouches,  fan- cases,  and  girdle- 
ends  of  the  men.  The  sketches  on  the  fans 
used  by  both  sexes  are  nearly  always  accom- 
panied by  inscriptions,  and  very  often  a  speci- 
men of  caligraphy  constitutes  the  sole  orna- 
ment of  the  article,  the  highly-prized  auto- 
graph of  some  relative,  friend,  or  distinguished 
individual. 

Numerous  examples  of  the  universal  em- 
ployment of  the  character  in  the  decoration  of 
articles  for  daily  use  may  be  seen  in  the  cups, 
saucers,  plates,  chopsticks,  teapots,  vases  in- 
cense-bm-ners,  cabinets,  and  a  hundi-ed  other 


Written  Character  for  Decoration.       145 

things  which  find  their  way  to  this  country 
as  cmiosities.  Indeed,  an  entire  book  might 
be  filled  with  illustrations  of  the  various  deco- 
rative pui-poses  to  which  the  Chinese  character 
is  put,  and  a  vast  store  of  additional  facts  as 
to  the  history,  poetry,  legendary  lore,  and 
customs  of  the  Chinese  might  thus  be  elicited. 
Enough,  however,  has  been  advanced  in  this 
and  preceding  chapters  to  show  how  highly 
the  Chinese  prize  their  seemingly  eccentric 
and  impracticable  symbols,  but  to  them  beau- 
tiful character,  and  that  it  is  utilized  by  them 
to  an  extent  miprecedented  in  the  practice  of 
any  nation,  ancient  or  modern ;  unless  it  be 
perhaps  the  Egyptians,  to  whose  persistent 
habit  of  recording  every  phase  of  their  social 
life  in  picture  language  upon  their  tombs, 
monuments,  temples,  and  otherwise,  we  owe 
the  wonderful  insight  into  then*  manners  and 
customs  which  indefatigable  Egyptiologists 
have  obtained  for  us. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

CHINESE    PROPER    NAMES. 

Nothing  perhaps  can  soiind  more  comical 
to  the  miaccustomed  ear  than  the  monotonous 
''  ching,  chong,  chow,  fee,  fo,  fum,"  of  which 
somids,  with  others  Hke  them,  the  Chinese 
syllabary  appears  principally  to  consist.  Yet 
the  Chinese  symbols  possess  a  wealth  of  mean- 
ing and  expression  of  which  few,  if  any, 
languages  can  boast ;  and  in  none  perhaps  are 
the  proper  names  so  universally  composed 
of  words  which  fonii  part  and  parcel  of  the 
language  itself.  Consequently  Chinese  names, 
both  of  men  and  places,  always  have  a  mean- 
ing, and  a  large  proportion  of  them  are  repre- 
sented by  words  in  common  use. 

Chinese  surnames,  which,  as  I  have  re- 
marked in  a  former  chapter,  are  but  limited 
in  number,  are  as  a  rule  composed  of  but  one 


Chinese  Proper  Names.  147 

character.  Names  are  generally  made  up  of 
two,  and  characters  having  a  felicitous  mean- 
ing are  always  selected.  The  surname  always 
precedes  the  names.  For  example,  supposing 
a  man's  name  to  be  Kung,  "  Palace,"  and  his 
names  Pao  Yeng,  "  Precious  Rocompense,"  his 
card  would  indicate  him  as  Kung  Paoyeng, 
"  Palace  Precious  Recompense."  Another 
man's  smnamemaybe  Wang,  "King,"  and  his 
name  Ta  LeiiJi,  "  Great  Six,"  probably  from  his 
being  a  sixth  child  or  son.  He  would  be 
styled  Wang  Taleuli. 

In  some  pro^ances  it  is  common  amongst 
intimates  to  add  the  familiar  prefix  of  Ah  to 
the  second  character  of  the  name  :  as,  for 
example,  the  two  persons  just  named  would 
be  severally  called,  Ahyeng  and  Ahlenh.  And 
this  will  account  for  the  numbers  of  Ahfoos, 
Ahchoivs,  Ahlums,  etc.,  to  be  met  with  amongst 
the  natives  of  Canton.  It  is  the  usual  practice 
with  Chinese  servants,  especially  those  belong- 
ing to  that  province,  when  engaging  them- 
selves to  foreigners,  to  give  in  merely  their 
names  with  this   familiar   prefix,    and    many 


148         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

wealthy  brokers  and  compradores  in  the  trade 
are  thus  known  and  designated  amongst 
foreigners.  But  the  habit  has  its  nse  in  the 
contempt  which  the  Cantonese  affect  to  have 
for  foreigners,  and  it  would  not  be  tolerated 
amongst  themselves  either  between  master  and 
servant  or  in  business  relations.  Many  and 
many  a  time  have  I  experienced  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  inducing  Chinese,  who  have  come 
before  me  to  have  agreements  with  British 
subjects  attested,  to  discover  their  proper  sur- 
names and  names,  there  being  such  a  rooted 
aversion  in  their  minds  to  commit  themselves 
by  name  to  any  arrangement  entered  into 
with  a  foreigner. 

Women's  names  are  mostly  selected  from 
amongst  names  of  gems,  flowers,  vh*tues,  and 
suchlike,  and  are  consequently  quite  in  keep- 
ing with  the  characteristics  of  the  sex.  On 
marrpng,  a  woman  takes  the  surname  of  her 
husba^id,  as  with  us  ;  but  with  the  usual  con- 
trariety of  the  Chinese  character,  the  affix 
which  marks  the  name  of  the  married  woman 
is  placed  after  the  surname.     The  wife  of  Mr. 


Chinese  Proper  Names.  149 

"  Palace  "  would,  for  example,  be  designated 
Kung  She,  or  '^  Palace  Madam." 

Titles,  official  or  otherwise,  always  precede 
the  name  when  stated  in  full.  But  when  a 
person  is  designated  by  his  title  familiarly  in 
coiiversation  or  ^vriting,  as,  for  instance,  where 
we  should  say  Colonel  A.,  or  Commissioner 
B.,  the  Chinese  place  the  title  after  the  name. 

Names  of  provinces,  districts,  cities,  rivers, 
mountains,  etc.,  derive  theii'  signification  for 
the  most  part  either  from  some  characteristic 
of  the  locality  or  some  legendary  or  family 
association  connected  with  it.  And  it  is  sel- 
dom that  any  characters  but  those  of  a  felici- 
tous meaning  are  employed:  Quangtung  (an- 
glicized into  Canton)  and  Quangsi  signify 
"broad  east"  and  "broad  west;"  Honan 
means  "south  of  the  rivers;"  Hufpeh,  "north 
of  the  lakes ;"  Shantung,  "  east  of  the  hills ;" 
Hankow,  "  mouth  (or  port)  of  the  Han  ;"  Shang- 
hae,  "ascending  (or  on)  the  sea;"  Pekin, 
"  northern  capital ;"  Nankin,  "  southern  capi- 
tal ;"  Neivchivang,  "  bullock  farms ;"  Foochow, 
"happy  district ;"  Tientsin,  "  celestial  harbor ;" 


150         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

Amoy,  "  summer  gate ;"  Chang  Kea  Khow, 
*'  the  gate  of  the  Chang  family ;"  Tien  Shan 
hu,  "  lake  of  the  celestial  hills ;"  and  so  on. 

The  designations  by  which  the  various  sorts 
of  tea  are  known  in  the  market  may  be  worth 
notice,  as  coming  under  the  more  immediate 
observation  of  dwellers  at  home.  Congo  is  a 
corruption  of  Kungfii,  signifying  labor,  and 
the  Moning  Congo  advertised  by  tea-dealers 
is  simply  a  sort  of  the  same  tea  grown  at 
Wuning,  a  district  and  city  the  name  of  which, 
being  interpreted,  means  "  Military  Rest." 
Souchong  signifies  "  little  sprouts ;"  Pekoe, 
''  white  down ;"  Bohea  is  derived  from  the 
Wuhee  Hills  on  which  it  is  produced ;  Oolung 
means  ''Black  Dragon ;"  Hungmoey,  "Red 
Plum;"  Campoi,  "Selected  firing;"  Hyson, 
"  Fair  Spring ;"  Twankay  takes  its  name  from 
Tunkee,  or  "  Beacon  Brook ;"  what  is  called 
"  Young  Hyson  "  is  in  Chinese  termed  Yiitse- 
en,  or  "  Before  the  rains ;"  Grunpowder  the 
Chinese  call  Yuen  choo,  or  "  Round  Pearls." 
There  are  a  number  of  other  names  given  to 
tea,  but  these  will  be  recognized  as  those  most 


Chinese  Proper  Names.  151 

familiar  to  the  European  ear.  Wliat  are 
teiined  ''  chop  names  "  are  the  fancy  designa- 
tions given  by  Chinese  dealers  to  their  teas, 
after  having  been  made  up  into  parcels  of  so 
many  hundred  chests  each.  The  tea  is  grown 
in  the  first  instance  by  small  farmers,  who 
cany  the  produce  of  their  respective  gardens 
to  the  nearest  depot,  where  it  is  collected  by 
brokers,  and  by  them  made  up  into  chests  for 
delivery  to  the  dealers,  who  convey  it  for  sale 
to  the  foreign  mart.  These  dealers  are  very 
particular  in  the  selection  of  high-sounding 
and  felicitous  titles  for  their  several  parcels  or 
chops,  and  very  often  a  particular  chop  acquires 
such  a  fame  as  to  be  eagerly  sought  after  for 
each  successive  season. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TRAVELLING  AND  PORTERAGE  IN  CHINA. 

Scarcely  one  Eng-lishman  in  a,  thousand, 
doubtless,  puts  himself  to  the  trouble  of  con- 
sidering what  means  the  Chinese  have  of 
travelling-  in  their  native  country,  or  perhaps 
cares  whether  they  move  about  at  all.  Yet  it 
cannot  but  be  an  interesting  question  how  so 
vast  a  teiTitory  is  traversed  by  its  teeming 
population,  and  in  what  way  the  merchandise 
of  so  active  and  commercial  a  people  is  con- 
veyed to  and  fro.  The  true  state  of  the  case 
may  be  told  in  a  few  words.  There  is  per- 
haps no  spot  on  the  face  of  the  globe  in  which 
locomotion  is  so  general  and  traffic  so  large, 
and  yet  where  such  clumsy  and  imperfect 
means  of  conveyance  are  provided,  either  for 
men  or  for  goods. 

Communication  is  carried  on  in  China,  as  in 


Travelling  and  Porterage  in  China.      153 

most  partially  civilized  countries,  by  means  of 
roads  and  livers  or  canals.  But  of  roads, 
there  is  nothing  at  this  moment  that  deserves 
the  name.  Traces  are  everywhere  to  be  seen 
upon  the  great  thoroughfares  of  the  elaborate- 
ly constructed  highways  of  better  days,  but 
these  are  now  mere  broken  tracks,  obstructed 
throughout  much  of  their  com'se  by  the  very 
stones  which  once  constituted  their  source  of 
utility  and  beauty.  Bridges  too,  many  of 
them  admirable  as  works  of  art,  and  others 
curious  from  their  rough  and  massive  charac- 
ter, span  wide  and  rapid  streams,  but  like 
everything  else  in  China,  they  tell  the  same 
sad  story  of  past  energy  and  present  decay. 
With  water  communication,  however,  the 
country  is  extraordinarily  well  supplied,  and 
although  too  many  important  channels  show 
signs  of  having  suffered  from  sheer  neglect  or 
wantonness,  a  vast  network  still  exists  which 
will  certainly  prove  of  immense  service  when- 
ever a  new  life  is  instilled  into  the  people  by 
the  introduction  of  foreign  appliances  and 
entei'piise. 


154         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

These  highways  and  streams  are  always 
more  or  less  alive  Avith  passengers  and  traffic 
proceeding  from  city  to  city.  The  conundrmn, 
'^  Why  are  wheeled  vehicles  scarce  in  China  I" 
with  its  reply,  "  Because  there  is  only  one 
Cochin-China,"  more  nearly  represents  the  fact 
than  the  would-be- witty  compiler  at  all  in- 
tended, for  no  such  thing  as  a  can-iage  is 
known  in  the  country.  In  the  northern  pro- 
dances  there  is  a  sort  of  nnile-waggon  much 
in  vogue,  composed  of  a  square  body  clumsily 
set  on  two  wheels,  and  without  the  semblance 
of  a  spring,  even  in  the  shafts,  and  which  the 
natives  seem  to  think  perfection ;  but  the  tor- 
tures experienced  by  foreigners  who  have 
been  compelled  to  liave  recourse  to  them  are 
described  as  being  most  excruciating.  In  the 
midland  and  southern  proAances  sedan-chairs 
are  mostly  used.  This  is  a  vehicle  very  simi- 
lar to  the  ancient  sedan  in  Europe,  save  that 
the  ends  of  the  shafts,  instead  of  being  slung 
on  straps,  are  borne  directly  upon  the  shoul- 
ders, and  being  made  of  bamboo  or  other  elas- 
tic material,  they  give  an  easy,  springing  mo- 


Travelling  and  Porterage  in  China.      155 

tion  to  the  conveyance.  Wliere  four  bearers 
are  used,  the  shafts  are  slung  to  poles,  one  be- 
tween each  couple  of  bearers  before  and  be- 
hind, and  the  motion  becomes  even  more 
agreeable.  The  pace,  however,  never  exceeds 
a  regular  three  to  four  miles  an  hour.  The 
use  of  ponies,  mules,  and  donkeys,  is  likewise 
universal,  but  it  is  seldom  that  an  animal  above 
mediocrity  in  breed  or  condition  is  to  be  seen  ; 
and  the  vast  majority  are  emaciated,  over- 
worked creatures. 

Tea  and  rest-houses  are  to  be  found  located 
everywhere,  at  easy  stages  from  each  other, 
many  of  them  built  or  endowed  by  charitable 
individuals  for  the  benefit  of  the  wayfarer. 
Such  establishments  are  sure  to  be  met  with 
on  the  tops  of  toilsome  or  dangerous  mountain- 
passes,  not  unfrequently  with  a  small  shrine 
attached,  at  which  the  traveller  seldom  omits 
to  offer  up  incense  or  a  prayer  to  propitiate 
the  local  deity  into  granting  him  a  favorable 
journey. 

Another  favorite  conveyance  in  China,  is 
the    wheelbarrow.     Not    anything   like   the 


156         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

veliicle  known  by  that  name  amongst  our- 
selves, but  a  more  convenient  and  scientific- 
allv-constructed  affair.  The  wheel  measures 
from  tlu'ee  to  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  so 
placed  as  to  run  under  the  centre  of  the  body, 
which  is  a  mere  framework,  with  a  ledge  on 
either  side,  after  the  fiishion  of  an  Irish  car. 
The  passengers,  for  the  machine  will  carry  as 
many  as  four,  sit  on  either  side  the  frame  with 
their  legs  outwards,  or  one  or  two  will  sit  on 
the  one  ledge,  balanced  by  their  luggage  on 
the  other.  The  weight  being  thus  poised 
upon  the  wheel  as  a  centre,  the  barrow-man, 
who  grasps  a  shaft  in  either  hand,  aided  by 
a  strap  over  the  shoulders,  has  little  to  do  be- 
yond pushing  and  guiding  the  vehicle.  The 
larger-sized  baiTows  often  liave  an  extra  man 
harnessed  to  the  front  to  assist  in  tracking, 
and  in  the  case  of  a  long  jom-ney,  a  tent  of 
matting  or  cotton  cloth  is  stretched  over  the 
top  as  a  protection  from  the  sun  and  rain,  the 
opening  l}^ng  backwards  towards  the  driver. 
In  some  parts  of  China  these  barrow-men, 
when  the  wind  happens    to    be    strong    and 


TraveU'mg  and  Porterage  in  China.      157 

blowing  in  the  right  direction,  convert  it  into 
a  useful  ally,  by  rigg-ing  out  a  couple  of  sprits, 
on  which  they  hang  a  piece  of  sacking,  or  a 
patched  coverlet,  or  an  old  jacket,  or  any 
other  article  of  clothing  which  may  come  con- 
venient, by  way  of  a  sail,  the  general  effect 
being  rather  ludicrous,  and  scarcely  worthy 
the  poetical  picture  by  which  Milton  has 
immortalized  the  practice.  A.  cm-ious  inci- 
dent connected  with  these  same  wheelbaiTows, 
and  indicative  of  the  readiness  with  which  the 
Chinese  will  forego  their  old-established 
usages,  when  it  suits  their  pm-pose,  occuiTcd 
lately  at  Shanghae.  BaiTows  were  not  in 
vogue  at  that  port  some  fifteen  years  ago,  their 
use  being  confined  to  a  neighboring  district, 
and  that  only  in  limited  numbers.  Suddenly 
a  demand  for  them  arose  with  the  growing 
ti'affic  of  the  settlement,  and  they  increased  so 
rapidly  within  a  brief  space  of  time,  that  their 
numbers  and  excruciating  noise  became  an 
intolerable  nuisance,  and  stringent  local  ordi- 
nances had  to  be  enacted  to  limit  their  comple- 
ment to  the  necessities  of  the  place,  and  to 


158         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

oblige  their  drivers  to  apply  grease  to  the 
wheels  and  ply  for  hire  only  at  particular 
stands. 

The  conveyance  most  frequently  employed 
for  ti'a veiling,  however,  is  the  boat,  and  it 
must  be  admitted  that,  setting  aside  the  one 
element  of  speed,  the  Chinaman  has  carried 
his  notions  of  locomotion  by  water  to  a  high 
pitch  of  excellence.  I  refer  of  course  only  to 
inland  communication.  The  varieties  of  craft 
employed  in  travelling  are  endless,  from  the 
tiny  little  cockle,  like  an  egg-shell  with  one 
quarter  cut  out,  to  the  huge  two-storied 
barge,  built  to  accommodate  a  Viceroy  with 
all  his  belongings.  Each  variety  of  boat, 
moreover,  is  pertinaciously  made  to  retain 
the  stereotyped  style  of  build  which  custom 
and  the  particular  requirements  of  each 
district  have  assigned  to  it,  and  it  is  as 
easy  to  a  Chinese  to  name  the  class  of  boat 
he  needs,  as  it  is  for  a  Londoner  wanting  a 
cab  to  hail  a  Hansom  or  a  fom-- wheeler. 
Boats  cannot  be  engaged,  however,  as  a  rule, 
save  through  properly  recognized  registrars, 


Travelling  and  Porterage  in  China.      159 

appointed  by  tlie  Government,  and  who  are 
held  responsible  for  the  good  behavior  of 
the  boatmen  whom  they  employ.  In  the 
majority  of  cases,  unhappily,  the  an'angement 
results  in  both  boatman  and  traveller  becom- 
ing the  subject  of  extortion,  rather  than  in  any 
better  adjustment  of  the  passenger  traffic. 

Passenger  boats,  and  indeed  most  of  the 
craft  used  in  inland  communication,  are  con- 
structed of  pine  or  other  light  material  upon 
a  framework  of  box,  teak,  or  camphor.  Every 
plank  and  rib  is  highly  varnished,  and  the  en- 
tire economy  of  partitions  and  divisions  is  so 
arranged  as  to  be  movable  at  pleasure.  The 
roofs  are  water-tight,  but  movable  nevertheless, 
and  the  sides  are  sufficiently  supplied  with 
windows  of  glass,  gauze,  or  oyster-shell,  for 
pui-poses  of  light  and  ventilation.  In  fact  the 
interiors  of  the  larger-class  boats  are  furnished 
rooms  in  miniature,  and  they  are  wonderfull}^ 
clean,  convenient,  and  comfortable  to  travel 
in.  The  one  drawback  is  their  drafty  charac- 
ter in  winter  weather,  but  in  the  summer  they 
are  excellent  conveyances  where  time  is  no 


160         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

object.  The  method  of  propulsion  chiefly 
rehed  on  is  the  single  scull,  slung  upon  a  pivot 
in  the  stern  frame,  and  furnished  witli  a  broad 
long  blade,  which,  being  worked  obliquely  by 
a  number  of  men  from  side  to  side  in  t^e 
water,  drives  the  boat  along  nearly  as  effectu- 
ally as  does  the  European  screw.  When  man- 
darins travel  they  select  the  largest  and  hand- 
somest passenger  boats  that  can  be  procured, 
and  the  moment  the  great  man  embarks  a  huge 
flag  is  hoisted,  proclaiming  his  official  rank, 
lanterns  are  perched  upon  the  stem  similarly 
inscribed,  and  the  scarlet  boards  bearing  his 
honorary  titles,  and  convepng  the  commands 
to  be  silent,  to  stand  back,  etc.,  which  are  usu- 
ally carried  in  procession  before  him,  are  dis- 
played on  either  side  of  the  boat  in  order  to 
strike  awe  into  persons  passing  by.  Wlien  the 
individual  is  of  imusually  high  rank,  the  local 
officials  of  each  several  district  throug-h  which 
he  passes  are  expected  to  greet  him  as  he  ap- 
proaches then'  jurisdiction,  to  entertain  him  at 
their  expense  whilst  passing  through,  and  to 
escort  him  out  again,  each  ceremony  being  ac- 


TraveUmg  and  Porterage  in  China.     161 

companied  by  a  loud  banging  of  gongs  and 
discharge  of  crackers.  On  leaving  the  passen- 
ger boat  it  appears  to  be  the  custom  for  the 
official  traveller  to  bequeath  his  titular  banner 
to  the  proprietor,  for  the  sails  and  awnings  of 
this  class  of  boats  are  always  made  up  of  a 
patchwork  of  inscribed  flags,  as  if  to  show  the 
number  of  great  men  who  have  honored  them 
by  their  patronage. 

The  slow  pace  at  which  these  passenger 
boats  travel  has  necessitated  the  introduction 
of  express  or  despatch  boats,  the  fastest  of 
which  is  undoubtedly  the  so-called  '*  foot- 
boat  "  of  Kiangsu,  a  sort  of  canoe  capable  of 
containing  but  one  passenger,  and  propelled 
by  a  man  sitting  far  back  in  the  stern  sheets, 
who  works  a  pair  of  sculls  with  the  soles 
of  his  naked  feet,  whilst  his  hands  assist  to 
steer  with  a  paddle.  These  little  craft  push 
on  day  and  night,  successfully  threading  their 
way  through  shallow  channels  or  crowded 
suburbs,  where  clumsier  vessels  could  not 
venture  or  move,  and  it  is  said  that  they  can 


162         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

easily  do  tlieir  seven  miles  an  hour  independ- 
ently of  mnd  or  current. 

Merchandise  is  even  worse  off  than  are 
travellers  for  the  means  of  safe  and  speedy 
transit.  Junks  along  the  coast,  and  boats, 
barrows,  and  carts  inland,  are  the  only  con- 
veyances at  disposal  besides  human  and  animal 
labor.  In  sea-going  craft  the  Chinaman  does 
not  shine,  although  there  are  few  better 
sailors  in  the  world  than  are  to  be  found 
amongst  the  population  of  the  seaboard  pro- 
vinces, and  the  com'age  and  skill  which  they 
exhibit  in  handling  their  clumsy  crazy  vessels 
is  something  that  needs  to  be  seen  to  be  be- 
lieved. Their  inland  boats  are  very  efficient 
as  far  as  convenience  and  carrying  capacity 
are  concerned,  and  they  are  always  most 
ingeniously  contrived  to  suit  the  exigencies 
of  the  several  streams  in  which  they  are 
accustomed  to  ply  ;  but  they  necessarily  lack 
the  essential  element  of  speed,  a  deficiency 
which  even  the  Chinaman  is  sufficiently  alive 
to  his  interest  to  regret,  and  endeavor  all  in 
his  feeble  power  to  repair.     There  is,  more- 


Travelling  and  Porterage  in   China.      163 

over,  no  system  of  insurance  for  inland  craft, 
and  their  flimsy  construction,  combined  with 
the  numerous  risks  incident  to  river  naviga- 
tion, renders  the  transmission  of  goods  by 
them  at  all  times  more  or  less  perilous. 

The  baiTOws  of  China  have  been  already 
described ;  they  are  used  indiscriminately  for 
the  conveyance  of  passengers  and  merchan- 
dise. They  are  skillfully  contrived  to  cany 
as  much  weight  as  can  possibly  be  trundled 
along  upon  one  wheel,  but  the  largest  of  them 
is  only  equal  to  a  load  of  some  seven  hundred- 
weight, and  the  labor  which  it  must  cost  to 
push  or  track  this  for  miles,  even  along  a  level 
road,  must  be  enormous.  But  in  order  fully 
to  realize  the  gigantic  toil  to  which  a  Chinese 
will  patiently  subject  himself  and  his  animals, 
as  well  as  the  indomitable  perseverance  which 
he  is  capable  of  exhibiting  in  the  face  of  for- 
midable obstacles,  where  trade  is  concerned, 
the  reader  should  for  once  see  a  cart-load  of 
heavy  foreign  bales  being  di-agged  up  a  de- 
clivity upon  a  main  thoroughfare  in  the  north 
of  China      The  cart  is  of  the  rudest  construe- 


164         The  Fweigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

tion  possible,  a  mere  raft  of  heavy,  rough 
planks  lying  upon  an  axle  of  unhewn  wood, 
and  supplied  with  two  wheels  of  solid  timber. 
In  the  ciTiel  clumsy  shafts  is  a  mule,  starved 
and  wi'etched  to  the  last  degree.  Harnessed 
haphazard  in  front  or  alongside  of  it  are  two 
or  three  other  soiTy  animals,  whose  race  it 
were  indeed  hard  to  divine  from  their  outward 
appearance.  Sometimes  a  bullock  or  a  mar 
is  put  in  to  make  up  the  team.  The  wheels 
of  the  machine  stand  jammed  against  a  rough 
slab  of  granite  j^laced  ages  ago  as  a  st3p]Ding- 
stone,  but  now  tilted  up  aslant,  and  only  to 
be  surmounted  at  the  lower  end.  The  di-iver 
of  the  cart  utters  an  inhuman  yell,  cracks  his 
thonged  Avhip,  and  the  unhappy  beasts  with  a 
frantic  rush  and  struggle  manage  to  surmount 
the  obstacle,  only  to  be  brought  up  again  a 
yard  or  two  farther  in  advance,  when  the  same 
process  has  to  be  repeated,  and  so  on  over  and 
over  again  at  each  successive  step  until  the  top 
is  reached.  The  descent  on  the  other  side  can 
be  little  less  trying  to  the  mule  which  has  the 
ill-luck  to  occupy  the  shafts ;  and  as  for  the 


Travelling  and  Porterage  in   CJilna.      1G5 

goods,  it  is  perhaps  fortunate  that  they  are 
only  manufactures,  and  are  well  protected  by 
strong-  canvas  packing. 

More  might  be  added  on  the  subject  of 
coohes,  then'  capabilities,  peculiar  customs, 
etc.,  but  enough  has  been  advanced  to  convey 
a  tolerably  distinct  idea  of  the  manner  in 
which  locomotion  and  carriage  are  accom- 
plished in  China,  and  to  show,  what  after  all 
is  my  main  object,  how  urgent  a  demand 
there  is,  even  in  the  interests  of  the  Chinese 
themselves,  for  the  introduction  of  some  of  the 
improvements  in  the  conveyance  of  passengers 
and  goods  which  have  rendered  it  so  safe  and 
speedy  a  process  in  AYestern  countries.  That 
the  Chinese  themselves  possess  sufficient  intel- 
ligence^ to  appreciate  this  want  has  akeady 
been  abundantly  proved  by  the  readiness  with 
which  they  charter  and  ship  in  foreign  vessels, 
both  coastwise  and  on  the  rivers,  and  by  the 
continually-increasing  flow  of  passengers,  who 
prefer  the  security,  certainty,  and  speed  of 
our  steamers  to  the  delay  and  loss  incident  to 
the  employ  of  their  own  craft.     There  can  be 


166         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

little  doubt  that  when  railways  can  once 
obtain  a  foothold  in  the  country,  the  Chinese 
will  be  as  quick  to  learn  their  vastly  supe- 
rior advantages  as  they  have  been  to  avail 
themselves  of  our  steamers  and  sailing  ships. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    CHARACTER    OF    THE    CHINESE. 

It  was  observed  in  tlie  introductory  chapter 
that  the  prevalent  impression  with  regard  to 
the  character  of  the  Chinese  people  seems  to 
be  that  they  have  no  notion  of  honor,  hon- 
esty, or  courage,  and  that  they  are  by  na- 
tm^e  a  cruel,  merciless  race.  This  estimate  is 
erroneous,  and  needs  to  be  con-ected.  I  do 
not  pretend  to  maintain  that  the  Chinese  are 
free  from  the  vices  common  to  all  humanity, 
and  I  will  even  admit  that  they  possess  many 
defects  of  character  from  which  other  peoples, 
who  have  made  even  less  progress  than  them- 
selves, have  been  found  to  be  exemjot.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  hardly  fair  to  judge  them  by 
that  code  which  an  advanced  state  of  intelli- 
gence and  civilization  has  taught  us  to  set  up 
for  our  own  guidance  in  respect  to  mental 


168         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

and  moral  qualities,  and  straightway  to  de- 
nounce them  as  weak  or  reprobate  because 
theycannot  fulfill  all  the  requirements  of  such 
a  standard.  It  must  be  remembered  that  they 
are  at  best  but  heathen,  and  that  their  advan- 
tages have  been  confined  entirely  to  what  the 
light  of  nature,  and  the  teachings  of  sages 
long  since  ancient  could  afford ;  and  taking 
this  circumstance  into  consideration,  as  well 
as  the  fact  of  their  many  ages  of  isolation, 
instead  of  there  being  any  ground  for  special 
condemnation  against  them,  there  is,  I  con- 
ceive, much  cause  for  marvel  that  they  hold 
virtue  and  its  kindred  characteristics  in  such 
hicrh  estimation,  and  that  their  standard  of 
what  is  good  and  commendable  so  nearly  ap- 
proaches that  of  more  privileged  and  gifted 
nations. 

The  moral  qualities  of  a  people  can  only  be 
judged  of  by  such  salient  points  in  their  char- 
acter and  conduct  as  come  under  the  observa- 
tion of  those  who  study  them,  or  are  thrown 
into  more  or  less  intimate  association  with 
them ;  and  if  this  criterion  be  accepted  as  a 


Character  of  the  Chinese.  1G9 

just  one,  there  is  every  reason  for  concluding 
that  the  Chinese  are  not  so  prone  to  evil  and 
so  dead  to  good  as  they  have  been  made  out 
to  be.  Their  sense  of  honor,  for  example,  al- 
though not  of  that  nature  which  is  ready  to 
resent  the  slightest  insult  by  pugnacious  de- 
monstration, is  nevertheless  very  keen,  and 
the  educated  classes  especially  are  painfully 
sensitive  to  insult  or  indignity.  This  has  been 
fully  established  by  the  numerous  instances 
which  have  occurred,  even  within  the  limits 
of  our  brief  acquaintance  with  the  people,  of 
public  functionaries,  both  high  and  low,  who 
have  sacrificed  their  lives  rather  than  desert 
their  posts  or  sustain  disgrace.  Cases  have 
not  been  wanting  moreover  in  mercantile  ex- 
perience, where  traders  have  been  prepared  to 
forfeit  considerable  sums,  or  otherwise  forego 
valued  interests,  rather  than  belie  their  word, 
or  permit  their  own  credit,  or  that  of  their 
connections  to  suffer  damage.  The  Chinese 
have  not,  it  is  true,  that  delicate  perception  of 
what  the  claims  of  tnith  and  good  faith  de- 
mand which  is  so  highly  esteemed  amongst  us 


170         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

Westerners,  but  they  know  and  prize  both 
characteristics,  and  practical  illustrations  there- 
of are  constantly  observable  in  their  relations 
one  with  another,  and  with  foreigners.  Al- 
though essentially  a  commercial  people,  for 
example,  they  do  not  appear  to  take  such  ex- 
traordinary precautions  against  fraud  in  the 
course  of  business  amongst  themselves  which 
are  thought  necessary  with  us.  Written  con- 
tracts do  pass  between  man  and  man,  but  their 
use  is  frequently  dispensed  with,  and  they  are 
never  so  formal  in  character  as  ours  are.  Even 
in  intercourse  with  foreigners  cases  constantly 
happen  where  the  Chinaman's  honor  is  the  sole 
guarantee  to  the  merchant  for  the  fulfillment 
of  the  agreement ;  and  in  the  common  course 
of  foreign  business,  transactions  of  all  magni- 
tudes are  usually  closed  by  a  simply  entry  in 
the  foreigner's  book,  to  which  the  China- 
man is  supposed  to  attach  his  signature,  al- 
though he  cannot  read  a  word  of  what  is  in- 
scribed. 

Honesty,  moreover,  is  by  no  means  a  rare 
virtue  witli  the  ( *hinese.     Witness  the  magni- 


Character  of  the  Chinese.  171 

tucle  of  the  pecuniary  interests  which  are  at 
this  moment  confided  by  our  merchants  to 
compradores,  servants,  and  friendly  tradcirs, 
and  although  instances  have  occm'red  in  which 
this  trust  has  been  betrayed,  more  especially 
of  late  years,  since  the  rapid  extension  of  for- 
eign commerce  has  induced  a  laxity  in  the 
choice  of  servants  by  merchants,  yet  they  can 
safely  be  considered  as  altogether  exceptional, 
and  attributable  as  much  to  the  want  of  pre- 
caution on  the  one  part,  as  to  dishonesty  on 
the  other.  Look  again  at  the  secuiity  wdth 
which  merchants  have  often  been  able  to  com- 
mit large  sums  to  native  hands  in  the  interior, 
notwithstanding  the  tempting  facilities  given 
to  embezzlement  by  distance,  inaccessibility, 
and  the  known  hesitation  of  the  native  authori- 
ties in  detecting  and  punishing  crime.  Against 
all  this  there  is  of  course  to  be  quoted  the  large 
amount  of  litigation  going  on  at  all  the  ports 
between  foreigners  and  Chinese  in  consequence 
of  the  failure  of  the  latter  to  fulfill  their  en- 
gagements ;  but  such  suits  may  also  be  fairly 
regarded  as  exceptional,  when   considered  in 


172         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

relation  to  the  enormous  aggregate  of  the  trade 
carried  on  between  the  two  peoples,  and  still 
more  so  wdien  it  is  remembered  that  the  ma- 
jority of  the  litigants  on  the  eriing'  side  are 
petty  traders  or  brokers. 

Nowhere  perhaps  is  this  tendency  in  the 
main  towards  honesty  more  notable  than 
amongst  the  personal  establishments  main- 
tained by  foreigners  at  the  ports.  Their 
houses  are  as  a  rule  plentifully  fmiiished  with 
articles  of  luxmy  and  vertu,  often  of  consider- 
able value,  very  mtich  as  is  the  case  with  well- 
appointed  residences  in  the  West,  and  although 
the  occupants  never  think  of  locking  up  even 
their  jewehy,  stray  money,  etc.,  yet  it  is  rare- 
ly that  anything  is  missed  through  the  fault  of 
the  indoor  servants.  As  far  as  my  own  expe- 
rience of  some  thirty  years'  residence  in  the 
country  is  to  be  relied  on,  I  can  vouch  for 
never  having  lost  a  single  article  save  a  small 
revolver,  and  that  was  restored  a  few  days 
afterwards  on  my  assembling  the  servants  and 
appealing  to  their  sense  of  right  not  to  allow 
the  stain  of  theft  to  rest  on  the  household. 


Character  of  the  Chinese.  173 

They  discovered  the  thief  without  difficulty, 
and  he  was  soon  obhg-ed  by  the  rest  to  leave 
my  service.  I  am  alluding  of  course  to  well- 
ordered  estabhshments,  where  care  is  taken  in 
the  selection  of  servants.  There  are  residents 
who  do  not  take  the  precaution  of  being  par- 
ticular as  to  antecedents  or  character,  and  Who 
are  consequently  perpetually  being  robbed, 
and  unfortunately  the  outcry  raised  by  such 
persons  is  apt  to  give  a  bad  name  to  the  entire 
servant  class.  I  have  also  heard  complaints 
made  of  joeculation  of  liquors,  house  stores, 
and  such  like.  But  then  it  is  much  less  the 
habit  in  China  to  keep  articles  of  this  kind 
under  lock  and  key  than  it  is  in  England,  and 
were  similar  latitude  allowed  in  the  latter 
country,  the  result!  apprehend,  if  I  may  judge 
from  what  I  have  seen  and  heard  of  house- 
keepers' troubles  at  home,  might  prove  quite 
as  deplorable,  if  not  even  more  so,  than  it  is 
found  to  be  in  China.  The  pilfering  of  por- 
tions of  merchandise  in  the  course  of  transit 
between  the  ships  and  warehouses  on  shore 
has  been  also  instanced  as  a  proof  of  the  dis- 


174         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

honest  tendencies  of  the  Chinese ;  but  when 
it  is  remembered  how  few  and  feeble  are  the 
precautions  taken  against  theft  in  the  matter 
of  landing  and  shipping  cargoes  in  China,  as 
compared  to  the  strict  vigilance  and  scrutiny 
exercised  under  similar  circumstances  at  home, 
anH.  when  moreover  it  is  considered  what  crazy 
cargo  boats  are  employed,  and  how  much  of 
the  porterage  to  and  fro  is  carried  on  by  means 
of  coolies,  who  proceed  unaccompanied  through 
crowded  streets  and  by-lanes,  it  becomes  rather 
a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  peculation  is  not 
far  more  extensive  than  it  is. 

Another  practice  to  which  the  Chinese  are 
very  prone  is  that  of  wrecking,  accompanied 
often  by  ill-treatment  and  even  mui'der  of  the 
helpless  mariners  who  fall  into  their  hands. 
This  is  a  crime  which  may  be  ascribed  as 
much  to  want  of  enlightenment  as  to  any 
natural  propensity  to  dishonesty  or  cruelty  ; 
and  the  fact  that  it  is  not  so  lomg  since  similar 
atrocities  were  common  upon  our  own  coasts, 
and  amongst  people  who  at  any  rate  had  been 
better  taught,  must  present  some  ground  of 


Character  of  the  Chinese.  175 

hope  that  tlie  Chinese  too  may  in  time  become 
reformed  in  this  particular.  It  is  not  gene- 
rally known  moreover  that  it  is  the  custom  in 
China  to  regard  waifs  and  strays  as  the  right- 
ful property  of  the  finders,  a  primitive  notion 
it  is  true,  but  one  not  to  be  wondered  at  in  a 
countiy  where  might  is  still  to  a  great  extent 
right,  and  where  the  laws  of  salvage  have  yet 
to  be  framed.  A  Chinese  would  as  soon  think 
of  asserting  his  title  as  of  right  to  a  lost  pro- 
perty when  found  by  another,  as  he  would  of 
appropriating  that  person's  property  as  his 
own.  I  have  seen  large  junks  and  timber- 
rafts,  which  have  broken  away  from  their 
moorings  in  the  Yangtsze  River,  coolly  taken 
possession  of  by  parties  of  men  and  broken  up 
or  divided,  even  although  some  of  the  pro- 
prietors might  themselves  be  on  board,  and 
the  outrage  would  be  quietly  put  up  with  by 
the  sufferers  as  a  decree  of  fate.  When  the 
British  Consulate  at  Shanghae  was  burnt  down 
in  1870,  there  happened  to  be  in  my  office 
about  £1,000  worth  of  enamels,  which  the  curi- 
osity dealers  had  sent  there  to  be  inspected  by 


176         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

some  naval  officers,  who  were  likely  to  be  piir- 
cliasers,  and  remembering  these  at  the  last  mo- 
ment when  the  fire  had  got  the  better  of  the  en- 
gines, I  ran  some  personal  risk  in  my  endeavors 
to  rescue  the  articles  from  the  flames.  The 
following  morning,  when  the  owners  made 
then'  appearance,  bemoaning  their  supposed 
loss,  they  were  as  much  astonished  as  my 
servants  were  chagrined,  at  my  delivering 
the  entire  set  back  without  charge  or  mulct  of 
any  kind.  And  I  heard  afterwards  that  a 
handsome  present  was  sent  to  the  latter  in 
consideration  of  the  aid  which  they  were 
supposed  to  have  given  me  in  the  removal  of 
the  enamels  out  of  the  burning  house.  The 
above  instances  will  show  what  the  native 
notion  is  in  respect  to  salvage,  but  there  is  no 
reason  why  it  should  not  yield  to  better  teach- 
ing and  more  stringent  laws.  Much  may  be 
effected  too  in  the  way  of  prevention  and 
reform  on  the  sea- coast,  both  by  foreign  men- 
of-war  and  the  foreign-built  cruisers  which 
the  Chinese  are  now  building.  And  it  would 
always  be   wise   in    foreign   governments   to 


I 
Character  of  the    Chinese.  Ill 

mark  the  few  instances  of  kindly  treatment  of 
shipwrecked  men  whicli  do  at  times  occur,  by 
Hberal  rewards  to  all  concerned. 

As  regards  the  question  of  courage,  again  it 
must  be  admitted  that  the  Chinese  possess 
more  of  the  quality  than  they  have  hitherto 
had  credit  for.  In  almost  every  engagement 
between  our  men  and  theirs  during  the  time 
that  we  were  at  war  with  them,  instances 
were  observed  of  really  valorous  conduct 
both  in  individuals  and  bodies  of  men,  and 
the  opinion  was  often  expressed  by  those 
competent  to  judge,  that  had  their  araiies 
and  fleets  been  better  foimd,  armed;  and  of- 
ficered, our  successes  might  have  been  some- 
what less  easily  won.  This  was  clearly 
exemplified  by  the  coolness  with  which  the 
transport  or  "  coolie  corps,"  attached  to  oiu* 
army  in  the  Pekin  campaign,  was  found  to 
go  into  action  in  the  face  of  galling  fires,  as 
well  as  by  the  steadiness  and  courage  evinced 
by  the  Chinese  troops  during  the  rebel  cam- 
paign under  Colonel  Gordon  and  his  staff  of 
foreign  officers. 


178         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

One  element  of  courage,  namely,  careless- 
ness of  life  or  limb  in  the  pursuit  of  an  object, 
is  undoubtedly  a  Chinese  characteristic.  Dm'- 
ing  the  occupations  by  our  troops  of  Ningpo 
and  Chusan,  instances  repeatedly  occurred  of 
Chinese  ignoring  the  challenge  of  a  loaded 
sentry,  and  even  braving  bayonet  or  bullet  for 
some  ridiculously  tri\dal  purj^ose,  such  as  pur- 
suing a  long-accustomed  path,  or  pilfering 
some  small  article  hardly  worth  the  trouble 
of  carrying  off.  I  myself  was  witness  to  te- 
merity of  this  kind  when  stationed  as  inter- 
preter with  a  small  detachment  of  troojDS  at 
Chinhai  in  1842.  We  were  perched  up  in  a 
castellated  joss-house  on  an  isolated  hill  near 
the  coast,  about  three  to  four  hundred  feet 
high,  and  being  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy, 
and  entirely  removed  for  the  time  being  from 
all  chance  of  succor,  we  were  compelled  to 
draw  a  line  round  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  to 
give  notice  that  every  one  who  ventured 
within  the  limits  should  be  shot.  Notwith- 
standing this  threat  and  our  presumed  read- 
iness   to    put    it    into    execution,    fishermen 


Character  of  the  Chinese.  179 

would  come  daily  at  low  water  to  pick  up 
shell-fisli  on  the  beach,  and  would  coolly  per- 
sist in  continuing  the  operation  in  spite  of 
''  thud  "  after  ''  thud  "  of  the  sentries'  bullets 
in  the  mud  alongside  of  them,  until  at  last, 
for  mere  humanity's  sake,  they  had  to  be  left 
alone.  A  small  brig  of  war  that  was  block- 
ading the  mouth  of  the  river  close  by  had  the 
same  trouble  with  the  trading  and  fishing- 
boats.  The  crews  of  these  deliberately  per- 
sisted in  trying  to  push  in  or  out,  notwith- 
standing the  round  shot  that  would  crash  past 
their  junks  and  at  times  sink  one  or  two  of 
their  number.  I  have  observed  a  similar 
indifference  to  peril  at  Foochow  when  the 
river  is  flooded,  and  its  stream  of  some  thou- 
sand yards  in  width  rushes  madly  through  the 
ancient  and  rough  but  sturdy  stone  bridge 
which  connects  the  two  suburbs.  Fragments 
of  timber-rafts  and  debris  of  all  kinds  will 
then  get  tangled  together  so  as  to  block  the 
narrow  arches  near  the  centre,  and  natives 
will  fearlessly  leap  on  to  the  heaving  mass, 
and,  detaching  a  large  piece  of  timber  here 


180  The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

or  there,  will  rush  with  it  clasped  in  their 
arms  down  through  the  surging  torrent  under 
the  bridge,  in  the  hope  of  coming  up  safe  at 
the  other  side,  and  being  able  to  make  a  few 
coppers  by  the  sale  of  their  booty.  I  have 
seen  many  accomplish  the  feat  successfully, 
but  I  was  informed  that  cases  of  drowning 
were  by  no  means  unusual. 

It  will  be  more  difficult  perhaps  to  defend 
the  Chinese  from  the  charge  of  being  cruel. 
That  they  lack  that  sensitiveness  which  can- 
not tolerate  the  idea  of  causing  unnecessary 
pain,  is  undoubtedly  proved  by  the  inhuman 
character  of  their  legal  penalties,  by  the  bar- 
barous manner  in  wdiich  they  treat  their  pris- 
oners, by  the  heedlessness  with  which  they 
will  contemplate  the  infliction  of  torture  or  of 
death  in  its  most  revolting  forms,  and  even  by 
the  merciless  method  in  which  they  carry  their 
pigs,  fowls,  and  other  live  stock  to  market. 
Yet  it  cannot  be  rightly  asserted  that  the  Chi- 
nese are  naturally  of  a  bloodthirsty  disposition. 
They  are  of  too  mild,  gentle,  and  forbearing 
a  nature  to  admit  of  the  charge  being  strictly 


Character  of  the   Chinese.  181 

applicable.  They  shrink  with  hoiTor  from  the 
needless  deprival  of  animal  life,  a  notion  per- 
haps Buddhistic  in  its  origin,  but  none  the  less 
common  to  all  the  sects  of  the  people ;  and 
the  mere  sight  of  a  cut  finger  or  broken  nose 
will  occasion  more  bemoaning  and  fuss  than  a 
fractured  limb  or  a  ghastly  wound  would  be- 
get amongst  Europeans.  On  the  other  hand 
this  native  gentleness  and  timidity  disappear 
when  hoiTors  present  themselves  wholesale 
before  the  Chinaman's  mind.  Although  he 
will  rouse  the  neighborhood  if  a  little  blood  is 
di'awn  by  accident  or  in  a  petty  quarrel,  yet 
he  will  munch  his  rice  unconcernedly  whilst 
human  victims  are  undergoing  tortm'e  or  de- 
capitation by  the  score  in  the  next  street. 

The  truth  is  that  both  kindliness  and  cruel- 
ty, gentleness  and  ferocity,  have  each  its  j)lace 
in  the  Chinese  character,  and  the  sway  which 
either  emotion  has  upon  their  minds  depends 
very  much  upon  the  associations  by  which 
they  are  for  the  moment  suiTOunded.  When 
in  their  oWn  quiet  homes,  pursuing  undis- 
tm'bed  the  avocations  to  which  they  have  been 


182         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

accustomed,  there  are  no  more  hai-mless,  wejl- 
intentioned,  and  orderly  people.  They  actu- 
ally appear  to  maintain  order  as  if  by  com- 
mon consent,  independent  of  all  surveillance 
or  interference  on  the  part  of  the  executive. 
But  let  them  be  brought  into  contact  with 
bloodshed  and  ra^Dine,  or  let  them  be  roused 
by  0]3pression  or  fanaticism,  and  all  that  is 
evil  in  their  dispositions  will  at  once  asseii;  it- 
self, inciting-  them  to  the  most  fiendish  and 
atrocious  acts  of  which  human  nature  has 
been  found  capable.  It  is  not  impossible  that 
they  owe  much  of  this  tendency  to  the  extreme 
rigor  of  their  code,  and  to  the  cruelty  as  well 
as  frequency  with  which  they  see«its  penalties 
canied  into  eifect,  as  also  to  the  vast  amount 
of  want  and  woe  to  which  their  minds  become 
habituated  in  the  ever-recuiTing  series  of  fam- 
ines and  rebellions  that  devastate  the  country. 
Could  their  laws,  which,  altliough  rigorous, 
are  after  all  well  suited  to  the  genius  of  the 
people,  but  be  more  justly  and  humanely  ad- 
ministered, and  could  national  disaster  be  ren- 
dered less  frequent  or  terrible  in  its  effects  by 


Character  of  the    Chinese.  183 

the  exercise  of  a  wiser  and  more  vig-.orous 
policy  on  the  part  of  the  government,  there  is 
every  reason  to  beheve  that  the  better  ten- 
dencies of  the  people  would  soon  gather 
strength,  and  that  the  more  ferocious  part  of 
their  nature  would  in  time  be  tempered  into  a 
true  and  manly  corn-age. 

But  the  phases  of  character  in  which  the 
Chinese  possess  the  most  interest  for  us  West- 
em  peoples  are  those  which  so  peculiarly  fit 
them  for  competing  in  the  great  labor  market 
of  the  world.  They  are  good  agriculturists, 
mechanics,  laborers,  and  sailors,  and  they 
possess  all  the  intelligence,  delicacy  of  touch, 
and  unwearying  patience  which  are  necessary 
to  render  them  first-rate  machinists  and  manu- 
facturers. They  are,  moreover,  docile,  sober, 
thrifty,  industrious,  self-denying,  endm-ing, 
and  peace-loving  to  a  degree.  They  are  equal 
to  any  climate,  be  it  hot  or  frigid  ;  all  that  is 
needed  is  teaching  and  guiding,  combined  with 
capital  and  enterpiise,  to  convert  them  into  the 
most  efficient  workmen  to  be  found  on  the  face 
of  the  earth      In  support  of  these  assertions  it 


184         Tlie  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  our  experience  of 
them  in  America,  Australia,  India,  and  the 
Eastern  Archipelago.  Wherever  the  tide  of 
Chinese  emigration  has  set  in  there  they  have 
proved  themselves  veritable  working  bee?, 
and  made  good  their  footing  to  the  exclusion 
of  less  quiet,  less  satisfied,  less  active,  or  less 
intelligent  artizans  and  laborers.  Even  in 
China  they  have  already  proved  their  worth 
by  helping  to  construct,  under  foreign  super- 
intendence, men-of-war  of  first-class  workman- 
ship and  foniiidable  proportions ;  and  their 
artificers  are  daily  acquiring  increased  skill  in 
the  arsenals  now  in  active  work  at  Tientsin, 
Shanghae,  and  Foochow.  The  marvellous 
energy  of  which  they  are  capable  as  mere 
laborers  is  moreover  constantly  exhibited  at 
the  port  of  Shanghae,  where  they  have  been 
known  to  accomplish  the  discharge  of  a  ship 
in  less  time,  as  I  have  been  assm'ed,  than  can 
be  effected  by  dock-laborers  at  home,  even 
with  all  the  appliances  of  cranes  and  otherwise 
which  these  latter  have  at  disposal. 

This  remarkable   aptitude    shown  by    the 


Character  of  the    Chinese.  185 

Chinese  for  skilled  as  well  as  physical  labor 
is  worthy  the  serious  attention  of  both  employ- 
ers and  workmen  in  these  days  of  strikes  in  ev- 
ery department  of  British  skill  and  industry.  If 
the  Chinaman  can  thus  compete  with  our  art- 
izans  and  working-men  in  his  native  country, 
notwithstanding  the  many  disadvantages  which 
must  attend  the  exercise  there  of  his  intelli- 
gence and  strength,  what  will  he  not  be  able 
to  accomplish  when  encouraged  and  taught  to 
rival  a  foreign  antagonist  on  his  own  ground, 
and  at  a  more  moderate  rate  of  remuneration 
than  the  latter  can  afford  to  demand  1  Should 
matters  go  on  as  they  are  now  doing  in  Eng- 
land, the  laboring  and  manufactm^ing  classes 
must  not  wonder  if  they  find  themselves  ere 
very  long  displaced  and  distanced  by  the  hith- 
erto despised,  but  none  the  less  practical,  use- 
ful, and  labor-loving  Chinaman. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CONCLUDING     REMARKS. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  chapters 
how  foreigners  are  situated  in  China,  what  po- 
sition they  hold  relatively  to  the  people  amongst 
whom  they  dwell,  and  what  characteristics  of 
the  latter  come  more  prominently  mider  their 
observation.  It  remains  now  to  state  the  re- 
sult of  the  intercommunication,  thus  far,  be- 
tAveen  the  two  races,  foreign  and  Chinese,  and 
to  hazard  a  few  conjectm-es  as  to  what  may  be 
looked  for  in  the  futui'e. 

Two  persons  cannot  be  thrown  into  each 
other's  company  for  any  considerable  period 
without  an  influence  of  some  kind  being  exer- 
cised by  the  one  upon  tlie  other,  either  for 
good  or  for  evil.  Witli  nationalities  the  same 
rule  holds  good,  and  it  is  well  worth  consider- 
ing what  has  been  the  influence  in  this  in- 


Concluding  Remarks.  187 

stance,  and  in  which  direction.  As  the  strong-er, 
more  pushing,  and  more  self-asserting-  people, 
foreig-ners,  it  might  be  taken  for  granted,  would 
be  able  to  show  the  preponderance  of  influence 
to  have  been  on  their  side,  and  such  has  been 
the  case  no  doubt  in  a  commercial  and  politi- 
cal point  of  ^dew.  A  trade  has  been  exacted, 
which  has  developed  itself,  in  spite  of  obstruc- 
tions of  a  vexatious  and  persistent  character, 
into  vast  dimensions,  and  China  has  been  com- 
pelled to  take  up  a  definite  position,  relatively 
to  other  nations,  whether  she  likes  it  or  no. 
But  the  amount  of  good  concomitantly  effect- 
ed is  questionable.  The  Chinaman's  favorite 
motto,  that  "  commercial  intercourse  enriches 
nations,"  has  certainly  received  practical  illus- 
tration in  the  material  enrichment  of  various 
toAA'ns  and  districts  more  immediately  connect- 
ed with  tlie  foreign  trade.  But  it  may  be 
doubted  whether  this  good  has  not  been  more 
than  counterbalanced,  in  the  one  case,  by  the 
immeasurable  misery  which  has  been  occa- 
sioned by  the  rebellions,  indirectly  brought 
about  (as  has  been  demonstrated)  by  repeated 


188         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

collisions  with  Western  powers,  and,  in  tlie 
otlier  case,  by  the  introduction  of  opium,  the 
sad  effects  of  which  have  hitherto  been  ever 
on  the  increase.  There  are  the  beneficial  re- 
sults of  missionary  teaching  to  be  brought 
into  account,  but  these,  it  has  been  shown,  are 
so  far  infinitesimal  as  compared  to  the  bulk  of 
the  nation,  and  even  they  too  would  fail,  I 
fear,  to  bring  the  preponderance  on  the  riglit 
side.  As  for  any  moral  influence  that  foreign- 
ers may  exercise  by  their  mere  presence  in  the 
country,  it  may  be  regarded  as  simply  nil. 
Could  a  few  fires  be  kindled  here  and  there 
on  the  edge  of  an  iceberg,  the  results,  in  dis- 
solving those  portions  of  the  frozen  mass  im- 
mediately in  contact  with  the  flames  might  be 
greater,  comparatively  speaking,  than  the 
transforming  effects  which  have  as  yet  trans- 
pired through  the  presence  of  the  few  liand- 
fuls  of  foreiofners  scattered  amono^-st  the  mil- 
lions  of  the  Chinese.  Indeed,  if  anything, 
the  influence  has  tended  the  other  way,  for  I 
have  found  as  a  rule  that  Chinese  do  not  im- 
prove by  being  brought  into  intimacy  with 


Concluding  Remarks.  189 

foreigners,  and  by  adoption,  as  a  consequence, 
of  their  habits  and  ideas.  The  few  Enropean- 
ized  Chinese  that  are  to  be  met  with  are, 
with  very  rare  exceptions,  most  insufferable 
creatures. 

The  people  generally  of  course  know  us 
better  than  they  once  did,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  those  distiicts  which  have  been  most  resort- 
ed to  by  us  would,  I  think,  for  the  most  part 
be  glad  to  increase  this  acquaintance,  not  only 
on  grounds  of  self-interest,  but  from  their  own 
natural  kindly  feeling.  But  the  ruling  and  in- 
fluential classes  still  only  tolerate  our  presence 
in  the  country,  and  I  firmly  believe  they 
would  hail  the  day  when  they  could  see  (were 
such  a  thing  possible)  the  last  foreign  factory 
razed  to  the  ground,  and  the  last  ship  dis- 
missed the  coast,  malgre  the  loss  to  the  nation- 
al revenue,  and  the  ruin  of  the  districts  de- 
pendent on  our  trade  that  would  certainly  en- 
sue. Experience  of  our  more  advanced  civil- 
ization and  our  improved  appliances  appears 
to  have  taught  the  Chinese  no  peraianent  les- 
son as  yet.     Returning  emigrants  fall  ba.ck  in- 


190         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

stinctively  into  their  native  notions  and  con- 
ceits, looking  back  npon  their  foreign  sojourn 
as  an  ordeal  happily  over.  Even  men  of  some 
pretence  to  social  position,  who  have  of  late 
years  Adsited  the  West  in  a  quasi-diplomatic 
capacity,  have  shown  no  sign  of  having  been 
impressed  by  w^hat  they  have  observed,  or 
moved  to  introduce  like  innovations  and  ad- 
vantages into  their  own  country.  Chung  How, 
the  only  really  high-class  mandarin  who  has 
visited  Europe,  disappointed  me  keenly  when 
I  was  conversing  with  him  last  August,  by  ex- 
hibiting the  most  listless  indifference  to  my 
sug-o-estions  as  to  the  vast  collection  of  novel 
and  interesting  sights  which  it  would  be  well 
for  him  to  see  wdiilst  in  this  country.  I  hap- 
pened to  attend  him  at  Shanghae  when  he  em- 
barked for  the  first  time  on  board  of  one  of 
the  finest  vessels  of  the  French  Messageries 
fleet,  and  took  possession  of  his  cabin  for  the 
voyage.  The  next  time  wdien  I  met  him  was 
in  his  handsome  room  at  the  Grosvenor  Hotel 
a  day  or  two  after  his  arrival.  Yet  on  both 
occasions  he  took  as  little   heed  of  his  novel 


Concluding  Remarks.  191 

sun'oundings  as  lie  would  have  done  when 
stepping  on  board  of  one  of  his  own  wretched 
Chinese  junks  or  walking  into  one  of  his  still 
more  primitive  native  hotels.  To  my  mind 
there  must  be  something  more  in  this  than 
an  affected  indifference  arising  out  of  simple 
conceit.  It  must  be  the  result  of  an  inborn 
incapacity  in  the  untutored  Chinese  mind  to 
entertain  any  subject  save  by  the  particular 
process  of  thought,  or  in  connection  with  the 
particular  association  to  which  it  has  been 
schooled  by  custom  and  tradition. 

To  all  this  it  may  be  replied  that  our 
foreign  steamers  and  ships  have  been  largely 
availed  of  by  the  Chinese,  more  especially  of 
late  years,  both  for  passage  and  conveyance 
of  merchandise  ;  and  that  at  various  points 
upon  the  coast  the  Government  has  instituted 
arsenals  upon  a  considerable  scale  under 
foreign  superintendence,  and  capable  of  tm-n- 
ing  out  formidable  men-of-war,  constructed 
upon  the  newest  models,  as  well  as  anns  and 
ammunition  upon  the  most  novel  and  destruc- 
tive principles.     This  is   so  far  true  ;  but  as 


192         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliay. 

regards  Chinese  passengers  and  shippers  in 
foreign  vessels,  I  have  repeatedly  mixed  with 
and  conversed  with  them  when  travelling  in 
their  company,  and  I  have  never  observed  the 
betrayal  of  a  single  emotion  of  admiration  or 
wonder  at  the  amount  of  science,  labor,  or 
means  expended  in  the  construction  of  the  y^ 
very  vessels  in  which  they  or  their  goods 
were  being  conveyed,  although  most  of  these 
now  plying  on  the  Yangtsze  River  are  speci- 
mens of  some  of  the  largest  and  finest  river- 
steamers  that  the  Americans  can  build.  On 
the  contrary,  I  have  heard  the  terms  "  bar- 
barian "  and  "  foreign  devil  "  freely  employed 
at  such  times  by  Chinese  conversing  amongst 
themselves.  And  I  verily  believe  that  most 
of  these  travellers  in  first-class  foreign  vessels 
have  in  every  case  retm-ned  to  their  several 
homes  only  to  ridicule  or  sneer  at  the  out- 
landish people  amongst  whom  they  have  for 
the  moment  been  thrown ;  although  fully 
appreciating,  doubtless,  all  the  while,  the 
comfort  and  raj^idity  with  which  they  have 
been  carried,  and  the  security  and  dispatch 


Concluding  Bemarks.  193 

attending-  the  transit  of  their  merchandise. 
The  estabhshment  of  large  and  effective  ar- 
'senals  by  the  Government  loses  much  of 
its  value  as  an  indication  of  influence  in 
favor  of  progress,  from  the  fact,  as  I  believe, 
that  the  innovation  has  been  adopted  with  the 
object  of  so  improving  the  offensive  appliances 
of  the  country  as  to  place  it  in  a  position  to 
cope  with  foreign  powers,  when  a  favorable 
opportunity  offers  for  realizing  that  dream  of 
eventual  ejectment,  which  still  lingers  in  the 
brain  of  the  majority  of  Chinese  statesmen. 

There  have  been  those  who  have  asserted, 
from  high  places  and  in  authoritative  style, 
that  the  Chinese  desire  progress,  and  many 
Enghsh  and  American  newspapers  have  echoed 
the  sentiment.  But  it  is  a  mistake ;  and 
those  who  initiated  the  cry  too  readily  allowed 
their  eyes  to  be  bhnded  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
a  mistake.  One  has  only  to  live  amongst  the 
people,  to  correspond  and  converse  Avith  the 
mandarins,  and  to  study  the  numerous  memo- 
rials addressed  to  the  throne  by  leading  states- 
men, to  convince  oneself,  that,  however  much 


194         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

portions  of  the  trading  section  of  the  popula- 
tion would  like  to  see  foreign  relations  extend- 
ed, the  ruling  powers  deprecate  progress  for  its 
own  sake  even  at  the  slowest  rate  of  advance, 
whilst  the  mass  of  the  people  are  altogether 
indifferent  to  the  subject.  And  that  such 
should  be  the  case  need  not  be  a  matter  of 
sui'prise.  Progress  to  the  Chinese  mind  re- 
presents the  free  introduction  into  the  country 
of  a  pushing,  self-willed, .  impracticable,  and 
eccentric  race,  whose  notions  and  habits  are 
utterly  at  vaiiance  with  anything  to  which 
they  have  hitherto  been  accustomed.  The 
honest  and  patriotic  mandarin  can  only  dis- 
cern in  progress  political  complication,  social 
revolution,  and  perhaps  general  rebellion ; 
whilst  the  unscrupulous  official  sees  in  it 
an  inevitable  end  to  the  monopolies  and  extor- 
tions which  he  has  been  accustomed  to  regard 
as  legitimate  sources  of  profit.  The  priest- 
hood and  literati  can  only  discover  in  progress 
an  aggressive  influence  before  which  time- 
honored  institutions,  superstitions,  and  usages 
must  in  tirde  give  way.     The  mechanic,  agri- 


Concluding  Remarks.  195 

tiirist,  and  carrier  contemplate  progress  with 
an  indefinite  fear  that  it  cannot  co-exist  with 
the  means  of  livelihood  on  which  they  and 
their  fathers  have  depended  for  generations. 
The  merchant  and  shopman  alone  man  fore- 
see in  progress  a  possible  som-ce  of  advan- 
tage in  the  increasing  profits  which  an  exten- 
sion of  trade  may  bring  about,  but  so  small  a 
proportion  of  these  latter  classes  is  as  yet  in 
a  position  to  experience  the  practical  results 
of  an  extended  intercourse,  and  they  are  so 
tied  down  by  their  conservative  instincts  and 
by  their  associations  with  the  other  classes  of 
society,  that  they  are  not  equal  to  even  the 
feeblest  protest  against  the  universal  prejudice. 
Added  to  all  this,  the  general  experience  of 
intercourse  with  foreigners  thus  far  has  not 
been  such  as  to  encom'age  the  opposite  way 
of  thinking.  Under  these  circumstances  who 
can  blame  the  Chinese  for  prefemng  to  re- 
main as  they  are,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  do 
so,  and  deprecating  any  innovation  upon  the 
groove  in  which,  as  they  imagine,  they  have 


196         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Catliaij. 

moved  so  happily  and  successfully  for  thou- 
sands of  years  past  *? 

But  it  by  no  means  follows  that  progress  is 
to  he  desj^aired  of  in  the  future  of  China. 
Further  shocks  and  awakenings  through  col- 
lisions with  foreign  powers  must  occm-,  for  the 
Chinese  government  is  as  yet  too  much 
wrapped  up  in  notions  of  its  strength  and  self- 
importance  to  appreciate  the  expediency  of 
framing  its  policy  so  as  to  suit  the  times,  and 
it  cannot  go  on  shilly-shallying  indefinitely, 
one  moment  solemnly  accepting  international 
obligations,  and  another  moment  covertly  re- 
ceding*from  them.  And  whenever  such  col- 
lisions take  place,  they  must  inevitably  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  forcible  introduction  of  new 
ideas,  to  the  disruption  of  old-established  and 
cheiished  usages.  We  can  only  hope  that 
when  the  shock  does  come,  the  aggressive  in- 
fluence may  be  wielded  by  a  wise  and  humane 
power,  and  that  it  may  be  so  directed  as  to 
accomplish  what  is  needed  for  the  country 
with  the  least  possible  amount  of  loss  and 
calamity  to  its  unhappy  people.     At  the  same 


Concluding  Remarks.  197 

time  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  advocate  an 
ahnipt  and  unreasoning  obtrusion  of  progress, 
as  we  understand  the  term,  upon  the  country, 
either  by  force  or  persuasion.  China  is  by  no 
means  ripe  for  an  instantaneous  reception 
tlu'oughout  her  entire  tenitory  of  the  highly 
advanced  condition  of  civihzation  to  which  we 
and  other  Western  peoples  have  become  ac- 
customed. There  is  abundant  material  to 
work  upon,  and  that  of  the  most  plastic  char- 
acter ;  only  it  needs  to  be  approached  with 
caution,  and  worked  with  discretion ;  other- 
wise there  is  a  risk  of  exciting  suspicion,  ex- 
plosion will  follow,  and  the  cause  of  progress 
will  be  thrown  back  for  years. 

There  is  no  more  intelligent  and  manageable 
creature  than  the  Chinaman,  so  long  as  he  is 
treated  with  justice  and  firmness,  and  his  pre- 
judices are  to  a  reasonable  extent  humored. 
He  is  distinguished  moreover,  like  om-selves, 
by  strong  commercial  instincts,  which  he  will 
follow  out  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  his  native 
obstnictiveness,  conservatism,  and  conceit. 
The  experience  of  the  past  thirty  years  has 


198         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

shown  how  readily  Chinese  traders  will  fall  in 
with  commercial  ventui'es  promoted  or  main- 
tained by  foreign  capitalists,  and  it  is  easy  to 
foresee  how,  in  the  openings  that  are  now 
every  day  offering  at  the  ports  for  the  initia- 
tion of  new  enterprises,  om'  merchants  will 
find  abundant  opportunities  for  turning  this 
love  of  trade  to  good  pm-pose,  by  the  introduc- 
tion step  by  step  of  railways,  steamers,  and 
telegraphs,  those  three  great  feeders  of  com- 
merce and  pioneers  of  progress.  Their  love 
of  literature,  already  alluded  to,  is  another 
weak  point  in  theii*  armor  of  obstructiveness, 
against  which  efforts  in  the  direction  of  pro- 
gress may  be  usefully  directed.  Books  on 
popular  subjects,  and  newspapers  or  other 
periodical  publications,  pro\'ided  the  style  is 
pure  and  classical,  will  always  be  read  with 
avidity,  and  cannot  fail  to  exercise  a  most  bene- 
ficial effect  in  dispelling  prejudice  and  eiTor. 
Missionaries,  as  I  have  said,  have  already  done 
something  in  this  direction,  but  if  they  could 
be  induced  to  give  more  pains  towards  suiting 
the  style  of  their  tracts  to  the  attainments  of 


Concluding  Bemarks.  199 

the  educated  classes,  and  to  confine  themselves 
less  to  stiictly  religious  subjects,  and  if  om* 
lay  linguists  could  be  persuaded  to  employ 
more  of  their  spare  time  in  Chinese  com- 
position, their  united  efforts  would  go  far  to- 
wards promoting  a  progressive  tendency. 

But  the  ameliorating  effects  of  an  extending 
trade  and  increasing  knowledge,  must  ever  be 
seriously  neutralized  unless  the  Chinese  Gov- 
ernment and  people  are  also  rightly  affected 
by  the  policy  which  is  pursued  towards  thetn 
by  the  several  foreign  governments  with  which 
they  have  international  relations.  This  must 
be  firm  and  uncompromising  in  the  mainte- 
nance of  treaty  stipulations,  and  the  exaction 
of  every  right  which  foreigners  resorting  to 
the  comitiy  are  reasonably  entitled  to.  No 
shifts  and  excuses  of  any  kind  should  be  ad- 
mitted. The  interests  of  all  foreign  nations 
in  this  particular  are  identical.  The  laxity 
hitherto  pennitted  in  the  matter  of  a  personal 
audience  of  the  Emperor,  is  one  of  the  con- 
cessions which  have  occasioned  material  pre- 


200         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

judice  to  foreign  interests  in  China,  and  until 
the  demeaning  position  in  which  Western 
powers  are  placed  thereby  is  put  an  end  to, 
they  cannot  hope  to  secure  for  their  respective 
nationals  that  consideration  with  the  officials 
and  people  generally,  which  is  alone  compa- 
tible ^\dth  relations  of  a  friendly  and  confiding 
nature.  Every  coolie  in  the  enijire  is  astute 
enough  to  discern  that  so  long  as  his  emperor 
and  high  mandarins  do  not  consiler  "oreigners 
worthy  of  being  met  and  entertained  on  equal 
terms,  there  is  no  call  for  him  to  treat  them 
with  civility.  It  is  a  mere  evasion  for  the 
Chinese  to  plead  that  Prince  Kung  and  other 
high  functionaries  of  Peking  receive  and  call 
upon  the  foreign  representatives,  and  so  prac- 
tically caiTy  out  the  spirit  of  the  treaty.  It  is 
a  compromise  which  is  tolerated  it  is  true,  but 
failing  access  to  the  fountain  head,  it  is  as 
demeaning  to  the  recipients  in  the  eye  of  the 
natives,  as  would  be  considered  amongst  us 
the  vicarious  reception  and  entertainment  of 
a  guest  through  a  retainer  or  head-servant  in 


Concluding  Rtmarhs.  201 

the  house.  If  an  excuse  has  been  offered  on 
the  ground  of  the  minoiity  of  the  Emperor,  it 
is  more  than  probably  a  bhnd,  put  forward  to 
delay  the  evil  day.  Unless  I  am  much  mis- 
taken, there  is  no  honest  intention  to  modify 
the  existing  position  when  the  majority  does 
occm*,  and  it  will  not  be  done  eventually 
unless  the  whole  of  the  treaty  representatives 
take  a  combined  and  deteiTained  stand  against 
any  continuance  of  the  indignity,  or  unless 
some  one  of  them  is  in  a  position  to  threaten 
coercive  measures. 

A  writer  in  a  late  Hong  Kong  paper  has 
very  pertinently  remarked,  that  although  the 
solution  of  the  audience  question  in  a  du-ection 
favorable  to  foreign  views  implies  a  \'iolent 
wrench  to  every  tradition  suiTounding  an  an- 
cient and  illustrious  throne,  and  that  con- 
sequently every  sympathy  is  due  to  those 
whose  patriotic  instincts  will  suffer  thereb}'', 
yet  it  cannot  be  admitted  that  the  mass  of 
Chinese  officials  have  any  claim  upon  foreign 
consideration  in  the  matter.     The  ill-goveni- 


202         The  Foreigner  in  Far  Cathay. 

ment  of  many  a  cycle,  which  is  mainly  attri- 
butable to  the  difficulty  hitherto  existing-  in 
bringing  matters  to  the  immediate  cognizance 
of  the  emperors  without  the  intervention  of 
interested  officials,  would  alone  justify  in- 
tervention in  favor  of  a  change ;  but  apart 
from  this  consideration,  foreign  interests  in 
the  country  have  now  reached  that  magnitude 
that  they  imperatively  demand  that  the  ex- 
isting isolation  of  the  Emperor  should  be  done 
away  with  at  the  very  earliest  opportu- 
nity. 

Another  essential  measure  necessary  to  pro- 
gress, and  which  has  not  had  that  attention 
that  it  deserves,  is  the  giving  of  official  pub- 
licity to  every  act  of  concession  to  a  foreign 
power.  The  treaties  have  not  been  j)romul- 
gated  and  made  law  throughout  the  empire  as 
they  ought  to  have  been,  although  in  some  of 
them  publication  to  the  people  constitutes  one 
of  the  provisions  stipulated  for ;  and  the  con- 
sequence is  that  mandarins  in  the  provinces 
constantly  profess  ignorance  of  the  existence 


Concluding  Remarks. 


of  trading  privileges,  and  the  inhabitants  need 
not  necessarily  be  aware  of  them.  Even  the 
concession  of  the  non-audience  claims  will  fail 
of  effect,  unless  the  fact  that  the  Emperor  has 
admitted  a  foreign  representative  to  his  pre- 
sence be  proclaimed  by  Imperial  edict,  and  an 
injunction  conveyed  that  all  foreigners  are  to 
be  treated  accordingly.  Officials  and  people 
alike  will  then  see  that  their  Government  is  in 
earnest  in  admitting  foreigners  to  friendly  re- 
lations on  terms  of  entire  equality,  and  will 
readily  do  their  part  in  making  friendly  ad- 
vances. 

To  recapitulate.  Let  the  commercial  enter- 
prise of  the  people  be  taken  advantage  of 
to  introduce  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge  of 
progress  wherever  and  whenever  the  oppor- 
tunity offers  itself;  let  knowledge  be  sown 
broad- cast  throughout  the  land  by  means  of 
suitable  and  instructive  publications  in  the 
native  language  ;  and  let  foreign  powers  com- 
bine to  treat  China  justly,  and  at  the  same 
time  see  to  it  that  she  acts  as  justly  by  them, 


204         The  Foreigner  hi  Far  Cathay. 

and  not  only  will  progress  be  possible,  but  no 
long  time  need  elapse  before  a  regeneration 
ensues,  whicli  shall  at  once  satisfy  the  long- 
ings of  the  diplomatist,  the  merchant,  and  the 
missionary. 


THE   END. 


A  NEW  AND  VALUABLE  SERIES 
For  Readers  of  all  Ages  and  for  the  School  &  Family  Library 


The  Illustrated  Library 

OF 

TliAVEL,  EXPLOITATION. 

AND     ADVENTURE. 

EDITED    BY 

BAYARD     TAYLOR. 


The  extraordinary  popularity  of  the  Illustrated  Library  op  Wonders  (nearly  ok4 
mmd  a  half  million  copies  having  been  sold  in  this  country  and  in  France)  is  considered  by 
Ibe  publishers  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  the  success  of  an  Illustrated  Library  op  Travizl. 
Exploration,  and  Adventure,  embracing  the  same  decidedly  interesting  and  permanently 
valuable  features.  Upon  this  new  enterprise  the  Publishers  will  bring  to  bear  all 
their  wide  and  constantly  increasing  resources.  Neither  pains  nor  expei-ise  will  be 
spared  in  making  their  new  Library  not  only  one  of  the  most  elegantly  and  profusely 
illustrated  works  of  the  day,  but  at  the  same  .time  one  of  the  most  graphic  and  fas- 
cinating in  narrative  and  description. 

Each  volume  will  be  complete  In  itself,  and  will  contain,  first,  a  brief  preliminary"  sketch 
of  the  country  to  which  it  is  devoted  ;  next,  such  an  outline  of  previous  explorations  as  may 
be  necessary  to  explain  what  has  been  achieved  by  later  ones  ;  and  finally,  a  condensation 
of  one  or  more  of  the  most  important  narratives  of  recent  travel,  accompanied  with  illustta- 
tions  of  the  scenery,  architecture,  and  life  of  the  races,  drawn  only  from  the  most  authentic 
sources.  An  occasional  volume  will  also  be  introduced  in  the  Library,  detailing  the  exploits 
of  individual  adventurers.  The  entire  series  will  thus  furnish  a  clear,  picturesque,  and  prac- 
tical survey  of  our  present  knowledge  of  lands  and  races  as  supplied  by  the  accounts  ol 
travellers  and  explorers.  The  Library  will  therefore  be  both  entertaining  and  instructive 
to  young  as  well  as  old,  and  the  publishers  intend  to  make  it  a  necessity  in  every  family  of 
culture  and  in  evoy  private  and  public  library  in  America.  The  name  of  I^yard  Tavlob 
%x  editor  is  an  assurance  of  the  accuracy  and  high  literary  character  of  the  publicattoo. 


JAPAN,  SIAM,  ARABIA, 

WILD  MEN  AND  WILD  BEASTS. 

SOUTH   AFRICA. 

THE  YELLOWSTONE.  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


The  volumes  will  be  uniform  in  size  (i2mo),  and  in  price,  $1.50  each. 
Catalogues,  -with  sj>ecimen  Illiistratio7is,  sent  on  application. 

ScRiBNER,  Armstrong  &  Co.,  654  Broadway,  N.  Y. 


Prices  and  Styles  of  the  Different  Editions 

OF 

FROUDE'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND. 


C^fte  ^f^tlmn  tuition* 

Ir  half  roan,  gilt  top,  per  set  of  twelve  vols.  latno $21.00 

Elegance  and  cheapness  are  combined  in  a  remarkable  degree  in  this  edition.  It  takes 
Its  name  from  the  place  of  Mr.  Froude's  residence  in  London,  also  famous  as  the  home 
•f  Thomas  Carlyle. 

In  cloth,  at  the  rate  of  $1.25  per  volume.    The  set  (12  vols.),  in  a  neat  box. $15.00 
The  Same,  in  half  calf  extra 36.00 

This  edition  is  printed  from  the  same  plates  as  the  other  editions,  and  on  firm,  white 
paper.  It  is,  without  exception,  the  cheapest  set  of  books  of  its  class  ever  issued  in  this 
country. 

In  twelve  vols,  crown  8vo,  cloth $30.00 

The  Same,  in  half  calf  extra. 50.00 

The  Edition  is  printed  on  laid  and  tinted  paper,  at  the  Riverside  Press,  and  is  in  cverf 
respect  worthy  a  place  in  the  most  carefully  selected  library. 

SHORT  STUDIES  ON  GREAT  SUBJECTS. 

By  James  Anthony  Froude,  M.A., 

"  History  of  England"  "  The  English  in  Ireland  during 
the  Eighteenth  Century"  etc. 

POPULAR  EDITION.    Two  vols.  i2mo,  cloth,  $1.50  per  vol.    The  Set $3.00 

CHELSEA  EDITION.    Two  vols.  i2mo,  half  roan,  gilt  top,  $2.00  per  vol- 
ume.    Per  Set 4.0a 

The  Complete  Worlds  of  James  Anthony 
Froude,  M.A. 

HISTORY    OF   ENGLAND    AND    SHORT    STUDIES. 
Fourteen   vols.,   in   a   neat   Box. 

POPULAR   EDITION $18.00 

CHELSEA    EDITION 25.00 

TAt  abovt,  works  sent,  post-paid,  by  the  publishers,  on  receipt  of  the 
frke 

SCRIBNER,  ARMSTRONG  &  CO., 

654  Broadway,  New  York. 


The  Works  of  George  MacDonald 

PUBLISHED  BY 

Scribner,    Armstrong  &  Co., 

654  Broadway,  New  York. 


THE  HIDDEN  LIFE 

AND  OTHEE  POEMS. 

I  Vol.,  i2mo,  $1.50. 

This  volume  includes  "The  Hidden  Life,"  MacDonald's  well  known  poem  "The  Dis- 
ciple," "The  Gospel  Women,"  "A  Book  of  Sonnets,"  and  the  "Organ  Songs,"  including 
the  "  Ode  to  Light," — itself  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  modem  poems. 


WITHIN  AND  WITHOUT. 

I  Vol.,  i2mo,  $1.50. 

This,  which  is  the  longest  poem  and  one  of  the  most  important  works  of  this  populat 
jtitht.-,  is,  i«i  fuct,  a  Thrillinf)  Stoi y  in   Verse. 

It  deals  in  a  graphic  and  masterly  manner  with  the  deepest  human  passion,  is  beautiful 
with  imagination,  and  intensely  interesting  in  plot.  Macdonald  is  one  of  the  most  original 
and  charming  Df  living  poets,  and  the  many  American  readers  of  his  prose  works  will  be 
delighted  at      it  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  his  poetry. 


"All  Mr.  MacDonald's  usual  moral  and  spiritual  subtlety  and  tendencies  are  tiieM^ 
and  the  story  is  full  oi  tWe  aost  lovely  light." — Contemporary  RevUtu, 


WILFRID  CUMBERMEDE. 

Author  of  *' Alec.  J^ordes,"    "  Anna/s  of  a  Qttiet  N'eighborhood"  &v. 
I  Vol.,  i2mo.     Price  $1.75.     Cheap  edition,  paper,  75c.,  cloth,  $1.25. 

CRITICAL     NOTICES. 

"This  book  is  full  of  intellectual  wealth.  It  will  teach  us  as  many  wise  thoughts,  and 
;iMriure  as  many  noble  feelings,  as  either  '  Robert  Falconer'  or  'Alec.  Forbes.'  " — British 
ijiiarterly  Revie'iv. 

"It  is  simple,  natural,  pathetic,  and  playful  by  turns,  interesting  in  plot  and  develop- 
mont  of  character,  and  written  in  such  limpid  English  as  it  does  one  good  to  meet  with."  — 
A',   v.  yourna 1 0/  Commerce. 

"The  best  story  of  him  who  is  the  best  of  living  story-writers.  It  may  be  enjoyed 
almost  in  perfection  by  one  who  has  not  read  the  beginning,  and  who  will  never  read  the 
sequel  ;  and  it  will  remain  in  the  memory  like  a  beautiful  song." — A''.  }'.  Independent. 

"  Mr.  Macdonald's  writings  are  beautiful  in  style,  powerful  in  description,  pathetic  and 
pure  in  their  design." — Christian  Intelligencer. 

S3^~  These  tvorks  sent,  ^ost-paid,  upon  receipt  of  the  price 


SCRIBNER,   ARMSTRONG  &  CO.'S 

LIBI^AHY  OF 

CHOICE  FICTION 

Messrs.  Scribner,  Armstrong  &  Co.  beg  to  announce  that  they  are 
about  commencing  the  issue  of  a 

LIBRARY  OF  CHOICE  FICTION. 

It  is  the  design  to  present  in  this  Library  a  series  of  works  by  the  best 
authors  of  the  day,  the  leading  characteristics  of  which  shall  be  elevation 
and  purity  of  tone,  and  entire  freedom  from  every  thing  in  the  remotest 
degree  demoralizing.  A  broad  page,  large  and  clear  type,  will  make  the 
successive  volumes  thoroughly  readable,  and  occasionally  they  will  be  care- 
fully illustrated.  As  an  indication  of  the  high  character  which  they  design 
to  give  the  "LIBRARY  OF  CHOICE  FICTION,"  the  publishers  have 
the  satisfaction  of  announcing  as  the  initial  volume — 

AT    HIS    GATES. 

-A.       2srO"V"EIi. 

By    MRS.     OLIPHANT, 

Author  of  "Chronicles  of  Carlingford,"  "Ombra,"  "Squire  Arden,"  "  The  Three  Brothers," 

&c.,  &c. 
One  vol.  8vo,  with  Thirty-one  Illustrations.  Cloth,  $1.50,  Paper,  $1. 
Mrs.  OufHANT  ranks  among  the  first  of  living  novelists,  and  this  is  one  of  the  best  of  her 
very  popular  productions.  The  characters  are  strongly  individualized  and  thoroughly 
human, — men  and  women  who  have  impulses  and  sympathies  in  common  with  those  of  the 
thousands  who  are  sure  to  read  the  story, — and  the  plot,  which  shows  the  genius  of  the  true 
artist  in  its  construction,  has  its  issue  so  carefully  concealed  that  the  interest  is  sustained  tc 
the  last  page.  

Now  Ready: 
GALAMA;    or,   THE    BEGGARS, 

The  Founders  of  the  Dutch  Republic. 
By  J.  B.  DE  LIEFDE. 


IN  PRESS,  WILL  BE  ISSUED  AT  AN  EARL>  DAY  : 

THE  STORY  OF  WANDERING  WILLIE. 

By  the  Author  of   "  Effie's    Friends"    and    "John    Hatherton." 


^^~  These  rwlumes  sent,  post-paid,  by  the  f-ublishcrs  on  rerei/>t  of  the  f>rice. 

SCRIBNER,   ARMSTRONG  &  CO.,  654  Brodv/ay,  N.  Y 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


4tUU  LU-U>^ 


t» 


m\ 


l\9i'4 


UECT)  CD-ORB 

NOV  Z5iii87 


jm  161! 

REC'D  LD-(IR| 


^QL  OCT  01  1991) 


REC'D  LD  Ijl 
JAN  0619!8 


JftN  2  3  ^9 


♦iHJ0L»9I9!8 


«? 


Form  L9-32m-8,'58(5876s4)444 


WEC'D  LD-URt 

PJUH2  9'<^ 


3  1158  00790  9053 


V 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    001  053  641    5 


^^ 

1 

